On the ice, the Anaheim Ducks are as scorching hot as they’ve been at any point in the last eight-to-ten years. They come into Tuesday’s matchup with defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers riding a three-game winning streak, having won five of their last six games, and they currently sit atop the Pacific Division standings, if sorted by points percentage (.682) with a 7-3-1 record.

Game #12: Ducks vs. Panthers Gameday Preview (11/04/25)

Takeaways from the Ducks 4-1 Victory over the Devils

They’ve scored 40 goals in their first 11 games (franchise record), they’re the only teams in the NHL with five players averaging at least one point per game (Leo Carlsson, Troy Terry, Cutter Gauthier, Mikael Granlund, Chris Kreider), and their future is as bright as any in the NHL, having players aged 21-and-under tallying 16 goals and 38 points, leading the NHL in both categories.

The NHL and the national media had the Ducks on the tip of their tongues on Monday, with a trio of items piquing the interest of those who follow the team to varying degrees.

Lukas Dostal Named NHL First Star of the Week

After signing a sizable contract extension in the offseason, the Ducks’ now franchise goaltender has taken the reins as the undisputed number-one starter, put the team on his back through a leaky transition period defensively, and earned honors of being named the NHL’s top star of the week for the week between Oct. 27 and Nov. 2.

Last week, Dostal posted a 3-0-0 record against the Florida Panthers, Detroit Red Wings, and New Jersey Devils, combining for a .949 SV% (91-95) during that stretch and saving 8.9 goals above expected. He battled through late defensive reads and puck management issues in front of him during the Ducks’ 3-2 shootout win over Florida, faced seven Detroit power plays in their 5-2 win on Halloween, and multiple shots off Devils’ sticks following lateral movement.

Dostal not only stood up to every challenge and didn’t surrender any goals that could be classified as “soft,” but he has elevated his game management impact, recognizing when his team needs a whistle, when opponents are changing, and cleverly placing rebounds in the corners or netting.

He’s started nine of the Ducks' first 11 games, so he will likely need rest at some point. However, the Ducks are about to face a gauntlet of contending teams on their schedule in November. If he keeps up this caliber of play, he could find himself on Vezina ballots come the end of the year.

Panarin Ruminations

Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek has reportedly taken some significant swings in the last few years when it comes to building his roster. In the summer of 2023, he was reportedly interested in acquiring Alex DeBrincat from the Ottawa Senators, who was ultimately traded to the Detroit Red Wings. The next summer in free agency, he reportedly offered the duo of Jonathan Marchessault and Steven Stamkos more term and AAV than they ultimately signed for with the Nashville Predators.

Verbeek managed to sign Mikael Granlund, one of 2025’s top free agents, to a three-year contract that carries an AAV of $7 million. The Ducks are projected to have roughly $40 million in cap space heading into the 2026 offseason. However, a chunk of that will ultimately be designated to a handful of core pending RFAs (Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier, Pavel Mintyukov, Olen Zellweger). However, the hot start to the season indicates the Ducks may have finally turned the corner out of their rebuild and could finally be true players for the most high-profile players on the trade or free agency markets.

Likely Hall of Fame winger Artemi Panarin (34) is in the final year of his contract with the New York Rangers, which carries an AAV of $11.5 million. Premier NHL insider Elliotte Friedman reported on his “32 Thoughts” podcast on Monday morning that both Panarin and the Rangers’ preference is for him to remain in New York, but that didn’t stop Friedman from wondering if there was a fit for the talented winger in Anaheim with the Ducks.

“Someone asked me, ‘Could you see the Ducks looking at a guy like Panarin?’ First of all, I think Panarin wants to be in New York,” Friedman said. “I was watching the Ducks, and I was thinking about that. For a guy like Verbeek, I wonder if he’d worry about, ‘would that affect any of my good young players? Not necessarily, but Verbeek could decide that with Joel Quenneville, who did Panarin break into the NHL with? Quenneville in Chicago. Just a thought.”

TSN’s Darren Dreger appeared on Edmonton’s “The Nielson Show” and offered his thoughts on Verbeek and the Ducks.

“I think that Pat Verbeek isn’t done,” Dreger said. “He’s a crafty general manager. I think when the time is right, when the opportunity is there, he’s gonna find a way to add.”

Ryan Getzlaf’s Unique Role with Team Canada ahead of Olympics

In March, Hockey Canada announced their management group, looking ahead to the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan. Part of that management group was future Hall of Fame center and Anaheim Ducks legend Ryan Getzlaf, named Canada’s “Player Relations Advisor.”

In July, they announced their Olympic coaching staff, and in August, they announced their orientation camp rosters. Getzlaf joins a star-studded group of managers and coaches, including Doug Armstrong, Julien BriseBois, Jim Nill, Don Sweeney, Kyle Dubas, John Cooper, Bruce Cassidy, Peter DeBoer, and Rick Tocchet.

Getzlaf sat down with Pierre LeBrun for his latest article in “The Athletic” to discuss his role with the Olympic staff, his current role with the NHL Department of Player Safety, and his potential future in NHL management.

“A player’s perspective,” Getzlaf told Lebrun when asked what he brings to that management room. “What it takes to be in that locker room. Some of those players have been there in the past, but it’s been a long time (for Olympic hockey). The players have changed. The mentality has changed a little bit. I’ve been able to sit in and give a point of view.”

In Getzlaf’s first year of Hall of Fame eligibility, the induction committee passed on him in favor of other former NHL players Duncan Keith, Alexander Mogilny, Zdeno Chara, and Joe Thornton.

Getzlaf played all 17 years of his NHL career with the Anaheim Ducks as the franchise’s leader in games played (1,157), assists (737) and points (1,019), and playoff games played (125), assists (83) and points (120). He captained the team from 2010 to 2022 and acted as a “Player Development Coordinator” for the organization from 2023 to 2024. Next, he has his sights set on a management role for an NHL team.

“I would like to,” Getzlaf told LeBrun about a future in management. “What role that is, I don’t know quite yet. But, yeah, that’s my ultimate goal is to be more involved on a day-to-day basis as far as a team goes. Or even the league. There’s different opportunities within the league.”

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

Quack of Dawn: Ducks Morning Report - 11/01/25

Wednesday night could feature a historic moment at Rogers Arena. With a victory over the Chicago Blackhawks, the Vancouver Canucks would set a franchise record for most consecutive wins over a single opponent. The record is currently held at 11 straight wins and is shared by Chicago, the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the San Jose Sharks. 

Vancouver's win streak started on January 31, 2022. On that night, the Canucks departed the United Center with an impressive 3-1 victory. Some notable performances from that game include Brock Boeser scoring the game-winning goal, while Jaroslav Halák made 20 saves in the win. 

Close to four years later, the streak continues. Over the past 11 games, Vancouver has outscored the Blackhawks 43-18, with only one game going beyond regulation. That game actually happened this season when the Canucks left Chicago with a 3-2 shootout win back in October, setting the franchise record for consective road wins against a single opponent.

Vancouver Canucks Set Franchise Record During Recent Victory Over The Chicago BlackhawksThe Vancouver Canucks have won 11 straight versus the Chicago Blackhawks

As for the all-time consecutive wins record against an opponent, Vancouver still has a ways to go. That record is held by the Montréal Canadiens who defeated the Washington Capitals 23 times from 1974-1978. Washington was finally able to halt the losing streak thanks to a 4-4 tie April 2, 1978. 

The Canucks return to Rogers Arena for a four-game homestand, which kicks off with a match against the Blackhawks on Wednesday night. This will be the second time Vancouver faces Chicago this season, as they won their last outing 3–2 in the shootout. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 pm PT. 

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Flyers respond to their head coach and some adversity with shootout win originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Two days after Rick Tocchet pleaded for more from his team and pretty much apologized to fans, the Flyers answered their coach’s call in roller-coaster fashion.

They raced out to a 3-0 lead Tuesday night and then rallied from a 4-3 third-period deficit to beat the Canadiens, 5-4, in a shootout at Bell Centre.

Trevor Zegras scored the lone tally in the skills competition, putting him at a blistering 15 for 23 lifetime. He added two assists in regulation.

Tocchet’s club went off for three goals in the opening 7:50 minutes of the game. But Montreal sent the building into a frenzy with four second-period goals to erase a dominant first period by the Flyers.

Nikita Grebenkin, though, tied things up in the final stanza with his first career NHL goal.

The Flyers’ breakthrough offensively came after the team scored just three goals in a back-to-back set last weekend on home ice, resulting in two disappointing losses and some boos at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

“The fans pay a lot of money here to watch games,” Tocchet said Sunday night. “I don’t think we gave them a half-decent product the last two games. I think it was kind of a boring game. It falls on myself, I’ve got to get these guys to start to show some will. The Flyer fans, if they see some will, they’ll cheer you on. If they don’t, you’re going to get booed.”

In the first period Tuesday night, the Flyers (7-5-1) got a pair of goals from Bobby Brink and one from Cam York.

The club improved to 3-0 in the shootout and handed the Canadiens (9-3-1) their first loss after regulation.

The Flyers also picked up their first win at Bell Centre since April 21, 2022. They were 0-3-1 in their previous four trips to Montreal and had been outscored 20-10.

• The Flyers were desperate for an offensive jolt.

They came in allowing the NHL’s fifth-fewest goals per game at 2.58. But they also came in scoring just 2.58, tied for the league’s fifth-fewest per game.

Brink’s second goal was on the power play and so was York’s marker.

Grebenkin gave the Flyers a huge lift a little over midway through the third period when it was starting to like the team’s big start was going to be totally wasted.

York (one goal, one assist) and Travis Konecny (two assists) joined Brink and Zegras with multi-point efforts.

The Flyers were able find some offense without Tyson Foerster, who was placed on injured reserve Monday.

• Dan Vladar did enough to bounce back from his first off night of the season. He made 16 saves on 20 shots.

He made a pair of big stops in overtime and the Canadiens couldn’t crack him in the skills competition.

Montreal flipped the game in the second period. Their second and fourth goals came on the power play.

Lane Hutson made a brilliant move to set up Kirby Dach’s game-tying 3-3 goal. Ivan Demidov gave the Canadiens the lead with an absolute rip on the man advantage.

The Flyers put 42 shots on Montreal netminder Sam Montembeault, who stopped 38 of them.

• For the first time since signing with the Flyers in the offseason, Christian Dvorak faced his old club. The 29-year-old center played in all 82 games for the Canadiens last season, helping Montreal reach the playoffs.

Dvorak played the most minutes of any Flyers forward with 23:56.

• The Flyers are back in action Thursday when they visit the Predators (8 p.m. ET/NBCSP).

The Calgary Flames are giving one of their top young blueliners another look at the big stage. The team announced Tuesday that defenceman Yan Kuznetsov has been recalled from the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers.

Kuznetsov, 22, has quietly put together a solid start to his season in the minors, notching two goals — including a game-winner — and a plus-5 rating in 10 games. He’s been a steady force on the Wranglers’ back end, showing the kind of two-way maturity that’s been steadily building since he turned pro.

This marks Kuznetsov’s sixth year in the Flames organization, split between his time with the Stockton Heat and now the Wranglers. He made his NHL debut last January against the Ottawa Senators, where he held his own in limited action — a short but promising glimpse at a player many see as being next in line for a bigger defensive role.

Last season, Kuznetsov put together one of his best AHL campaigns, finishing with a plus-21 rating — the best on the team — and 21 points (6 goals, 15 assists) in 72 games. That mix of defensive reliability and growing offensive confidence earned him a two-year contract extension over the summer, with the deal turning into a one-way contract in its second year. It’s a clear sign the organization expects him to stick at the NHL level sooner rather than later.

A second-round pick in 2020, Kuznetsov has now suited up for 226 AHL games, logging heavy minutes against top competition and establishing himself as a key piece of Calgary’s defensive depth.

In a recent report from the New York Post, Arthur Kaliyev’s ex-girlfriend has accused the former Los Angeles Kings right winger of multiple scandals. 

According to his ex-girlfriend, Lauren Mochen, Kaliyev had an alleged “gambling addiction” that led to trouble within the Kings organization, including former teammates, the team’s staff, as well as the front office. 

Mochen tells the story of Kaliyev’s off-ice lifestyle, revealing the factors that led to him being waived by Los Angeles in January of last season.

This alleged gambling addiction of Kaliyev’s is the root of Mochen’s story. Not only did it create tension in their relationship, which ultimately ended, but it also apparently caused friction between Kaliyev and members of the Kings when he played there from 2021 to 2024.

Mochen told the New York Post that Kaliyev claimed his family “controlled his NHL income,” and other stories that tied into the 24-year-old ultimately asking for her to cover his expenses.

In addition to Mochen constantly aiding Kaliyev financially, she believes that part of it was a cover-up of an alleged “gambling problem.”

“He did some strange things,” Mochen told the New York Post. “If the TV was on, and it wasn’t a sporting game, the TV had to be off. He refused to watch anything besides sports. He behaved as if he had bets placed on every single game that was on my TV. He would sit there checking his phone, checking and flipping back and forth between games.”

She said that it got to the point where Kaliyev owed money to teammates on the Kings, as well as tips to the training staff in Los Angeles.

Former Kings GM Rob Blake took matters into his own hands, consulting with Kaliyev’s agent Ian Pulver, that the player needed to right his wrongs within the team. 

Former Kings GM Rob Blake Has ‘No Regrets’, And Is Eyeing An NHL Return In The FutureFormer Los Angeles Kings GM talks about his tenure, as well as seeking a new role in the league or with the NHL in the near future.

While the bridge between the Kings and Kaliyev was thinning, Blake would not waive or trade the right winger until he was squared away with all his debts related to the organization.

Eventually, on Jan. 5, 2025, Kaliyev was waived and claimed by the New York Rangers 24 hours later. Up to that point in the 2024-25 season, the 24-year-old did not feature in a single game for Los Angeles.

Mochen said she intends to press further charges against Kaliyev, as he allegedly “scammed her out of more than $50,000.”

Kaliyev is currently a member of the Ottawa Senators organization, as they signed him to a one-year contract in the off-season. He played two NHL games this season and is currently in the minors with the AHL’s Belleville Senators.

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It's been multiple weeks since the Detroit Red Wings had Patrick Kane in the lineup after he was injured during their 2-1 overtime victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Oct. 17. 

During that time, the Red Wings have won five of eight games, including three of their last four away from Little Caesars Arena. Thanks to their strong start to their centennial campaign, Detroit is in second place in the Atlantic Division and third overall in the Eastern Conference. 

While it was recently confirmed that Kane would miss the entirety of the road trip which concludes on Tuesday evening against the Vegas Golden Knights, there was an optimistic outlook from head coach Todd McLellan about his potential timeline for a return. 

After the Red Wings announced that forward Austin Watson had been re-assigned to the Grand Rapids Griffins, McLellan acknowledged that it meant Kane could potentially skate with the club on Thursday. 

"That is a sign that there's a really good chance he could skate with us on Thursday," McLellan said.

"Again, we're not there yet, but we're getting feedback from some really important people, including Patrick, and we're hoping that he can practice with us and we'll see where it goes from there," he continued.

Kane had been on a scoring pace reminiscent of his Hall of Fame career, having tallied two goals while adding three assists for five points in the five games he played before going down. 

For the second straight offseason he signed a one-year contract on June 30 to remain with the Red Wings. This December will mark two full years since he chose to join Detroit following his hip resurfacing surgery in 2023.

Following Tuesday's road finale against the Golden Knights, the Red Wings return home for a tilt against the New York Rangers on Friday evening, followed by a Sunday matinee matchup against Kane's former club, the Chicago Blackhawks. 

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