The Pittsburgh Penguins played perhaps their most dominant period of season in their Monday evening tilt against the Toronto Maple Leafs. 

After a solid opening frame and carrying a 2-0 lead into first intermission on goals from Erik Karlsson (1) and rookie Ben Kindel (4), the Penguins absolutely dominated the Leafs in the second period. They outshot the Leafs, 16-3, and Kindel added a third tally on the power play. Everything was humming. The Leafs had just nine shots on goal after 40. The Penguins had complete control.

Then, an old, all-too-familiar version of the Penguins showed up in the third period. 

Heading into this game, the Penguins had not surrendered a third-period lead and were outscoring opponents, 20-9. They seemed to be an entirely different third-period team than the ones of the past three non-playoff years - when no lead was safe, and the final frame was always an adventure. 

Unfortunately, that's what happened. The Penguins' 3-0 lead in the third period was decimated in within the first seven minutes of the final frame - courtesy of an Auston Matthews breakaway goal and two subsequent goals by William Nylander, who returned to the lineup Monday after missing two games to injury - and the Leafs scored the back-breaker with a little more than six minutes to go in regulation when Bobby McCann put home a second-chance opportunity. 

For 40 minutes, this was just about as good a response game as the Penguins could have asked for after a tough loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday. But they were harshly reminded that they cannot afford to take their foot off the gas and need to play a full 60, especially after outclassing what has been a perennial playoff team for the first two periods.

Penguins Get Buried Early, Snap Eight-Game Point StreakThe Pittsburgh Penguins couldn't beat the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday.

"We got away from it," head coach Dan Muse said after the game. "We felt the first two periods are the way we want to be playing. It has to be a full 60, though. We got away from it there.

"I think it was a number of different factors. I think when they took momentum there, we weren't able to at least pause the momentum. It kept coming, and then we're back on our heels, and we can't play the game that way. I mean, the things that were working there in the first two periods, they're things that can be sustainable. But we got away from them, and it can't happen."

Here are some thoughts and observations from this brutal loss:

- Let's start with some positives. And, wow, what a player Benjamin Kindel is.

It's not too early to start saying that this kid is a star. He's going to be exactly that. You simply don't see 18-year-old centers come up and dominate the way Kindel has so quickly at the NHL level, and he's doing it against elite competition in what is often the opposition's top-six. 

He did it again Monday. He fits in seamlessly on a power play with three surefire Hall-of-Famers. He's crashing the net. He's generating chances left and right and has consistently been the best player on the ice for the better part of the last three games. According to Moneypuck, his line controlled 95.5 percent of the expected goals share against the Leafs (and, by the way, Ville Koivunen was very good in this game, too).

95.5 percent. Let that sink in.

Ben Kindel is tied for the league lead in goals among NHL rookies with five 👀 pic.twitter.com/C01c6WMeki

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) November 4, 2025

This guy is 18! I can't emphasize enough how this just doesn't happen. Kindel is a very, very special player, and he is now tied for the rookie lead in goals. 

Get hyped, Penguins' fans. This guy is going to be - and already is - a very, very good hockey player.

- Karlsson played another outstanding game. His first goal of the season was a rocket and a beauty, and it was well-earned.

He is now up to 11 points in his first 14 games. He continues to be a huge difference-maker for the Penguins.

- The Penguins' special teams are really something. The penalty kill has stymied 16 of the last 17 opposing power plays - and is now top-10 - and the power play is second in the league at 32.4 percent. 

If they can keep this up with special teams, it will help them win a lot of hockey games.

Can The Penguins Take Advantage Of A Weak Metropolitan Division?When projecting how everything would look one month into the 2025-26 NHL season, most people didn't have the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins">Pittsburgh Penguins</a> as one of the league's top teams.&nbsp;

- Now, let's get to the bad. 

To be honest, I had nearly written an entire piece that was a glowing endorsement of this team. Let's just say that I had to scrap all of that and write something completely different.

I don't know what happened, to be honest. The Penguins had an absolute stranglehold on this game, and they just completely stopped playing for the first seven minutes of the third and let the Leafs walk right back in.

To the Leafs' credit, they did come out strong in the third. But this simply cannot happen. They lapsed entirely defensively. Matthews never should have gotten behind Ryan Shea and Kris Letang on the first goal. Jarry should not have allowed the second. The Penguins were outskated on the third and hemmed in their own zone. Owen Pickering was burned badly by McCann on the winning goal, and he couldn't recover or do anything to stop him - and neither could Harrison Brunicke at the net front.

MANN THAT WAS CLUTCH!!@OREO | #LeafsForeverpic.twitter.com/P0L2135di0

— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) November 4, 2025

The third period was nothing short of a disaster, and it happened so quickly. It's something the Penguins can learn from, but we've seen this movie many, many times before.

- Speaking of Pickering and Brunicke, that last goal really was a shame because I thought they were pretty solid for most of the evening. Brunicke - playing in his ninth NHL game, which is the final one before his entry-level contract would kick in at the 10th, should he stay - was especially solid in the first 40 minutes, and this was good to see after a rough outing in Winnipeg.

But, unfortunately, Brunicke needed to stand out in a good way in this game, since he is now at that 10-game mark, where the Penguins need to make a decision on him. I do think the fourth goal was mostly on Pickering, and I think it's hard to single Brunicke or Pickering out when the entire team fell apart in the third - and when it probably wouldn't have mattered who was on the ice because the Leafs tying it felt inevitable.

What Will The Penguins Do With Top Defensive Prospect Harrison Brunicke?On Thursday, it was confirmed by <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins">Pittsburgh Penguins</a>' head coach Dan Muse that 18-year-old center <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/players/penguins-top-prospect-ben-kindel-to-remain-in-pittsburgh">Ben Kindel will remain in the NHL through his 10th game</a>, meaning the first year of his three-year entry-level contract will kick in.&nbsp;

I'm not sure he did enough in this game to sway the coaching staff or management more toward keeping him. He was good for most of it, but he was on the ice for the back-breaking goal, and he had a small hand in it.

If I'm the Penguins, I'm keeping Brunicke regardless. More on that later. But I just think there is far too much risk in sending him back to juniors, especially when his bad habits probably can't be addressed in any super meaningful way at that level. 

Let him take his lumps at the NHL level and learn from two legends on the right side, and let him get direction from this coaching staff. That's where I'm at.

- Jarry - playing in his 300th NHL game - was not good in this one. I realize that it can be difficult for a goaltender when they are essentially coming into a third period cold because they hadn't seen any action for 40 minutes.

But he just didn't have it Monday. That second goal was brutal.

Penguins' Goaltender Hits Big MilestoneAnother <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins">Pittsburgh Penguin</a> has hit a career milestone.&nbsp;

- Speaking of brutal, this was a brutal game for Sidney Crosby and Bryan Rust defensively, and that theme is becoming a bit too common. I'm not really sure what the solution is other than breaking them up for a bit, but I don't expect that to happen.

- Noel Acciari left the game in the first period with an upper-body injury and did not return. Muse put the Penguins' lines in a blender for the rest of the game as a result.

Admittedly, I was not a fan of this approach. 

I realize it's not easy to adjust to being down a forward that early in the game. But nothing was consistent the rest of the game, especially in the third period. And I just think they were breaking up some chemistry that was working for them due to the injury of a fourth-line player. It wasn't the worst decision, but I don't think the constant switching helped them in the third. 

I'm also not sure how I feel about Crosby, Rust, and Malkin together. I'd rather see Kindel or Koivunen take one of their places if they're going to shake things up. 

- The Penguins return home to play the Washington Capitals on Thursday. 

The response after this gut-wrenching loss will say a lot about this team. Stay tuned. 

5 Reasons The Penguins Might Be For RealThere were surely a lot of items on NHL bingo cards heading into the 2025-26 season.&nbsp;

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The Pittsburgh Penguins had everything going for them on Monday against the Toronto Maple Leafs until they didn't. 

They played two of their best periods all season to start the game. They were ferocious in all three zones. Ben Kindel once again showed that he belongs in the NHL. Erik Karlsson was a monster in the offensive zone and scored his first goal of the season. Harrison Brunicke was looking calm and composed on the third pair. He was simplifying things after his rough outing in Winnipeg. Tristan Jarry was potentially on his way to another shutout. 

Then, the third period happened. Auston Matthews made the Penguins pay when they fell asleep early in the period, and the rest snowballed from there. The Penguins completely fell asleep in their own zone, and to make matters worse, Jarry had the worst period of his season to date. He gave up a weak goal on the first William Nylander goal to make it 3-2, and one could argue he should've saved his second goal that tied the game. He also wasn't sharp on the game-winner from Bobby McMann. 

It was a period of horrors for the Penguins, and they simply couldn't stop the bleeding. Not even getting a point out of that game, let alone a win, is inexcusable. Per Bob Grove, it's only the third time in the Penguins' history that they've lost a game in which they led by three or more goals heading into the third period.

Everyone was looking for a response after Saturday's game against the Winnipeg Jets, even though the process was mostly there. Yes, they no-showed the first three minutes of the game and were put in a 2-0 hole pretty quickly, but the process was mostly there for the rest of the game. They didn't get the saves and didn't convert on their high-quality chances. Sometimes, that happens. 

They were getting the saves and finishing their chances in the first 40 minutes on Monday, and felt it was enough to win with a full period to go. When you have a team pinned down on the mat like that, especially when you're holding them to eight shots through two periods, you have to go for the knockout blow. 

The Penguins have had an outstanding start to the season and are still in a good spot in the Metropolitan Division. The points that they have earned to this point aren't suddenly going to go away. However, now that they blew that lead, it's time to see what this team is made of. The schedule isn't going to get easier for the rest of this week, with matchups against the Washington Capitals, New Jersey Devils, and Los Angeles Kings on the horizon. 

Penguins Forward Exits Maple Leafs Matchup With InjuryThis Penguins forward's night ended early due to injury.

The Capitals have lost four in a row going into Wednesday's matchup against the St. Louis Blues, but were still a playoff team last year. They're favored to return to the playoffs this year and are getting great goaltending from Logan Thompson, plus solid production from Tom Wilson, Aliaksei Protas, and Dylan Strome. Alex Ovechkin is always a threat to score, but has been limited to only two goals in 12 games to start the year. 

Jack Hughes is a strong Hart Trophy favorite right now and the biggest reason why the Devils are off to a 9-4-0 start. He has 10 goals and 16 points in 13 games, and when he's playing at this level, there aren't many players in the league who are better than him. Couple that with the fact that the Penguins often struggle to win in Newark, and it potentially gets real dicey. 

The Kings may be off to a rough start, but they still have some good players in Adrian Kempe (who also loves scoring against the Penguins), Anze Kopitar, Kevin Fiala, Brandt Clarke, and Quinton Byfield. Byfield, in particular, is close to a point-per-game (10 points in 13 games) and could be on his way to really breaking out after back-to-back 50+ point seasons. 

We're going to find out really quickly whether Monday's collapse was just a blip on the radar or a sign of things to come before the Penguins head to Sweden. 

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The Ottawa Senators get a little break from game action this week. Following their 4-3 overtime loss in Montreal on Saturday night, which ended a run of six games in ten days, the Senators won't face off again until this Thursday night in Boston against the Bruins. 

The Senators went 4-1-1 in those six games, and on Monday, head coach Travis Green took a moment to give some credit to his fourth-line winger and enforcer, Kurtis MacDermid, a player who's been in and out of the lineup and hasn't gotten much media or fan love in the first month of the season.

Green was asked by TSN 1200's Gord Wilson about the play of Lars Eller, and the coach quickly spun the topic over to MacDermid. Green had obviously heard or read some of the media and fan critiques of having the enforcer in his lineup.

"I've liked that line with Eller, MacDermid and Zetterlund in different ways," Green said. "I know there's been a little talk about Dermi being in the lineup. We're 4-1-1 with McDermid in the lineup. And I don't know if there's been any talk about that.

"He brings an element that is hard to find, but he also understands that he might not play that much some nights."

Green pointed to the flexibility that brings, allowing him to give extra minutes to some of his top guys without anyone's nose being out of joint. 

"We've scored two goals by being able to put Drake Batherson or someone else out with that line. They scored a big goal against Calgary and scored one in Montreal the other night."

When asked how MacDermid directly impacts the lineup, Green drove home the obvious point about toughness. At 6-foot-5, 233 pounds, the guy is a handful.

"People know who's tough in the league and who's not," Green said. "He's a great teammate, he's great in the locker room, and understands his role. And we've played some hard teams that are known for being tough as well."

That would include the Senators' season opener in Tampa Bay, where MacDermid lost the only bout he's been in so far. It was Kurtis on Curtis action, with rookie forward Curtis Douglas trying his hand against the veteran. Even for an established NHL heavyweight, the kid's reach at 6-foot-9 will make him tough for anyone to contend with. In his only other fight, Douglas held his own against Mathieu Oliver.

On Saturday night against the Canadiens, MacDermid played only 2:04 and took a costly penalty that led to a Montreal power play goal. Zach Bolduc had checked Jake Sanderson into the Canadiens' bench and then dropped and covered up when MacDermid arrived to take exception.

That's part of the challenge of employing a true NHL heavyweight: very few players are willing to add MacDermid to their dance card. Arber Xhekaj is one of those players, but when MacDermid openly challenged him on Saturday, Xhekaj declined. 

I've been critical of MacDermid's ability to contribute outside of his toughness. When you think about it, every team that's ever rostered an enforcer had a more skilled player in the organization they could be using instead. But they sacrifice that to have a player who can serve and protect.

I will continue to maintain that there is a real benefit to having a true heavyweight in the lineup, whether it's MacDermid, Xhekaj, Douglas, Olivier or someone else. Having a guy on your bench who's capable of protecting teammates and mopping the ice with people – even if he never actually does that night – can not only improve opponents' behaviour, but it can also infuse confidence into your team.

And keep in mind, none of these tough guys are ever in the game at the expense of a highly valuable NHL player. No team runs so deep that their 12th forward is all that impactful.

Some people are bullish on the matter, strongly believing one-dimensional enforcers are a waste of a roster spot and a ridiculous, archaic concept.

But a lot of NHL head coaches, including Green, Martin St. Louis, and Jon Cooper, who's probably the best head coach in the game. still strongly believe in them. And they have a lot more knowledge, experience, and a lot more at stake than the Monday morning quarterbacks on social media.

More Sens Headlines at The Hockey News Ottawa:

Senators at Montreal: Former Canadiens Forward Says Ottawa 'Feels Like Home'
Senators Winger Nick Cousins And The NHL's Unofficial Frontier Justice System
Calgary vs Ottawa: Comparing First-Rounders Yakemchuk and Parekh
Tyler Kleven Interview: His Game, His Offseason, And Travis Green's Tough Love
What's Going On With Fabian Zetterlund's Lack of Production?
Senators Walk The Early Season Fine Line Between Disaster And Success

K’Andre Miller will not face his former team on Tuesday night when the Carolina Hurricanes play the New York Rangers. 

Miller was placed on injured reserve on Oct. 31 for a lower-body injury he suffered in a game against the Vegas Golden Knights on Oct. 20. 

His move to injured reserve is procedural by the Hurricanes to make room on the roster for Pyotr Kochetkov. 

The 25-year-old defenseman has missed the team’s last five games, but Rod Brind'Amour does not envision Miller being out for much longer. 

“I was kind of hopeful that he'd maybe make the trip and give it a go,” Brind'Amour said of Miller’s injury status. “I don't think that's going to happen, but I don't anticipate that one being too much longer.”

The Hurricanes and Rangers completed a sign-and-trade during the offseason that sent Miller to Carolina, as he signed an eight-year, $60 million contract.

Another Pittsburgh Penguin has hit a career milestone. 

In Monday's game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, goaltender Tristan Jarry suited up for his 300th career NHL game. He is third goaltender in team history to hit the 300-game mark, with the others being Tom Barrasso and Marc-Andre Fleury.

Accoring to Penguins PR, Jarry's 157 wins are the most in franchise history by a Penguins' goaltender through 300 games.

Tristan Jarry is the third goaltender in @penguins history to reach 300 games with the team.

Jarry's 157 wins entering tonight are the most by a Pittsburgh goaltender through 300 games in franchise history. https://t.co/nktpMDTfQZ

— Penguins PR (@PenguinsPR) November 4, 2025

Jarry is in the third season of a five-year contract. The 30-year-old netminder is off to a sizzling start this season, as he was 5-1 with a .923 save percentage and a 2.35 goals-against average going into Monday's game. 

In his 10-season NHL career with the Penguins, Jarry has a .910 save percentage and a 2.77 goals-against average. Jarry sits third on the Penguins' all-time win list for goaltenders.

Can The Penguins Take Advantage Of A Weak Metropolitan Division?When projecting how everything would look one month into the 2025-26 NHL season, most people didn't have the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins">Pittsburgh Penguins</a> as one of the league's top teams.&nbsp;

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Former Montreal Canadiens defenseman Corey Schueneman is on the move. 

The St. Louis Blues have announced that they have traded Schueneman to the Washington Capitals in exchange for defenseman Calle Rosen. 

Schueneman kicked off his NHL career with the Canadiens, as he made his NHL debut with them in 2021-22. In 31 games over two seasons as a member of the Canadiens, Schueneman posted two goals, five assists, seven points, 52 blocks, and a minus-4 rating.

Schueneman primarily played with the Canadiens' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Laval Rocket, during his time with the organization. In 130 games with Laval from 2020-21 to 2022-23, Schueneman recorded 13 goals, 33 assists, 46 points, and a plus-16 rating. 

Scheuneman's time with the Canadiens ended when he signed a one-year contract with the Colorado Avalanche during the 2023 NHL off-season. 

In nine games this season with the Blues' AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds, Schueneman posted one goal and five assists. He will now look to make an impact with the Hershey Bears after being acquired by the Capitals. 

It's only been 11 games, but it feels safe to say that the Carolina Hurricanes have struck gold with their Russian rookie.

After years of waiting and building hype, it feels like everybody's astronomical expectations for 2020 third-round pick Alexander Nikishin are being affirmed every night when he steps out onto the ice.

Because Nikishin has just simply been tremendous for Carolina.

With two goals and six points in 11 games, Nikishin is second amongst Canes defensemen behind only Shayne Gostisbehere (7) and ranks third amongst all rookie blueliners.

The Russian defender has also been on the ice for 14 goals (the most by any Hurricanes defenseman) and only six goals against and he controls a 53.70 CF% and 50 xGF%, despite logging heavy, top-four minutes already as a rookie.

Alexander Nikishin has started his NHL career on a three-game point streak.

The only other rookies in franchise history to start their first season on a three-games or more point streak are:

Jamie McBain (2010-11): 4 games, 5 points
Bernie Johnston (1979-80): 3 games, 5 points

— Ryan Henkel (@RyanHenkel_) October 15, 2025

"I think he's understanding — and there's still a ways to go — how hard you have to play in this league, for every shift, during your shift," said Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour. "Once he really understands that, you're going to really see his game take off because it's coming."

Already, the Canes have been leaning on the former KHL superstar, with him logging over 20 minutes of game time in six of his last seven outings due to the injuries to Carolina's blueline.

But he's earned those minutes and has been handling them tremendously well for a player with less than 20 games of NHL experience under his belt.

"He's been noticeable in a real positive way," Brind'Amour said.

Nikishin has also been averaging 1:34 of penalty kill time per game and has been on the ice for just one goal against, but also one shorthanded goal.

Brind'Amour also has the Russian working with the second power play grouping, but with the team's lack of opportunities on the man advantage over the last three games, he hasn't yet been able to showcase his skills there.

While it may take some time for him to fully grasp the Hurricanes' systems and NHL speed, it's clear that Nikishin already has the physical toolkit to be a true game breaker.

The 6-foot-4 defenseman leads the Hurricanes in hits on the year and in fact, is tied for the fourth most amongst all NHL defensemen in hits (34).

Need some help waking up this Saturday?

Alexander Nikishin laying the BOOM might help 💥 pic.twitter.com/x89CTLcUZK

— NHL (@NHL) November 1, 2025

He also holds the top two hardest shots on the team according to NHL Edge, with a 98.97 (which is also the fifth hardest shot recorded this season amongst all players around the league) and 96.08 mph slapshot.

His skating has also been pretty good for a big guy, with an 85th percentile max skating speed (22.20mph) and being in the 90th percentile for speed bursts over 20mph (15).

"That's a great physical specimen back there," said current partner Sean Walker. "A great piece that we've added with such a big, powerful body that can skate well and make great plays."

Nikishin put it on a tee 🚀 pic.twitter.com/CprBX6p9q4

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) November 1, 2025

To top it all off, he has some snarl to his game too, standing up for teammates on multiple occasions. 

"I like that sandpaper that he has," Brind'Amour said. "I think there's a lot more in there too. I think he's trying to figure that out too, how that all works."

What's crazy though, is that Brind'Amour feels that Nikishin is just scratching the surface.

"There's a lot to like, but I think he's just getting by on raw talent versus the actual structural stuff that we have to shore up," Brind'Amour said. "There's still some things that are not great in a sense of, 'Okay, you need to be here or there,' or just reading the play. It'll come and it is coming, it's getting better and better the more we work with him, but it's not an easy position to walk into and then ask a kid to basically be playing top-four minutes right off the hop. That's a ton to ask and he's done a great job, he'll just get better as he goes.

"He's an older kid, so that's good, but he's coming from a different league. It's not the same. Yeah, there's talent and size, but it's the pace and the intensity of each shift. It's night and day. I think he's figuring that out."

Alexander Nikishin helps save a goal for the #Canes!

The defenseman gives up his body in the crease, and it stays out. pic.twitter.com/RmbrgMwK8D

— Walt Ruff (@WaltRuff) October 29, 2025

Nikishin is already cementing himself as a top defensemen for the Hurricanes and if still has as much room to grow as his coach says, then the rest of the league better watch out.

"He plays well, has points, good ice time," said teammate and fellow countryman Pyotr Kochetkov. "I really like how he's played and adapted to the system. He's gotten better every day and he's very good for this organization now and in the future"

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Ottawa Senators winger Nick Cousins answered the bell and paid the price on Saturday night.

Cousins agreed to square off against rugged Montreal Canadiens' defenseman Jayden Struble in the third period of the Senators' 4-3 overtime loss at the Bell Centre. The Sens winger took a punch to the face that landed so hard and so flush, it took him out of the game.

Like it or not, this is the NHL's unofficial frontier justice system at work, a system that's been around for more than a century. 

Struble all but admitted after the game that he fought Cousins to get even with him for a September 30th slash on Ivan Demidov during a preseason game in Quebec City.

“When you have a guy like that taking a shot at your young star player, that was a bad play, none of us liked it," Struble told the media. "We were thinking about it. It was on our minds. You can’t just go around trying to hurt our best players.”

At practice on Monday in a scrum with the local media, Cousins seemed none the worse for wear, save for a few battle scars. He took some accountability for his slash, which was why he accepted the fight.

"Sometimes you gotta answer the bell for your actions," Cousins said. "I mean, I'm certainly glad that Demidov is okay. I think definitely I've gotta take care of my stick there a little bit better, and yeah, sometimes you gotta answer the bell, and I did that. It's over with, and we kind of move on now."

As Cousins mentioned, Demidov's wrist wasn't badly damaged that night. But it was a nasty slash with serious intent behind it, so the Canadiens had every right to be ticked off. Cousins was removed from the game and fined by the NHL, and Saturday night was the Habs' first chance for real revenge.

Like an old western, the Habs called Cousins out onto the street, demanding satisfaction. Cousins finally obliged in the third period, and if he hadn't, the Canadiens would have continued to make life extra miserable for him in future games.

The matter now appears to be settled, especially with Cousins losing the fight. That's important because sometimes if a player agrees to a fight and does too well, then suddenly the matter isn't settled. 

I know. It's complicated.

But it isn't accurate to frame the Sept. 30th slash as some completely random thing. In all likelihood, it was Ottawa's attempt at its own frontier justice for an incident that had happened a few moments before in that game. Carter Yakemchuk, the Senators' 2024 first-rounder, had just been jumped by Florian Xhekaj, who caught Yakemchuk with several punches.

According to the unofficial code, Ottawa had two options. Go after Xhekaj to get even with him directly, or go after their 2024 first-rounder. Cousins apparently chose the latter.

Then, in the whataboutism of NHL frontier justice, the Canadiens would probably push back on you and remind you of Hayden Hodgson's hit from behind on Alex Newhook shortly before in that same game. 

At some point, as Linus Ullmark might describe it, the NHL world of frontier justice starts to sound a little immature, like two scrappy boys, standing in front of their dad, and yelling...

"He started it!"
"No, he started it!"
"Shut up!"
"No, you shut up!"

In theory, Cousins should be off the hook now, but does the frontier justice system demand another response? Return fire? Revenge for the revenge? 

Should enforcer Kurtis MacDermid get after Struble? Struble does outweigh Cousins by almost 20 pounds. Is that something?

For those of you scoring at home, if the Sens do respond in the next game, that would be Ottawa answering back to Montreal's reply to the Sens' answer to the Habs' response to the reply to the answer.

Who knows when this thing all started? Maybe it was that time King Clancy called Newsy Lalonde a rapscallion?

But some people think that if the NHL just came down harder on these dirty plays, on the ice or at the department of player safety, then the players wouldn't ever have to take things into their own hands like this.

I doubt that.

Let's say Cousins got a 40-game suspension for his slash on Demidov. For one, the players' association would lose its mind. It exists to protect player money, not safety. But in the current culture, even if Cousins did get pounded with a 40-game ban, Struble or Arber Xhekaj would still have been waiting for him, hoping to unleash a 40-punch pounding.

The NHL could start throwing the book at those who violate the existing intent to injure rule. It would take some time to learn the lesson and undo the culture, but players would come around... eventually. But that would have to mean the end of fighting, which by definition is an intent to injure. 

No, there will be none of that.

The league's decision-makers are still an old boys' club, and they're perfectly fine with fighting and the way things are. So make no mistake, dirty NHL plays and the ensuing frontier justice aren't going away anytime soon.

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The tail of Brennan Othmann with the New York Rangers continues to be disappointing. 

From being called up and down from the American Hockey League, the 2021 first-round pick still has failed to salvage a full-time role with the Rangers. 

The latest case of disappointment came when the Rangers called up Othmann for their four-game road trip, but he only played in one game before being scratched out of the lineup for the remaining three matchups.

The 22-year-old forward was ultimately called back down to the AHL on Sunday, capping off yet another underwhelming NHL stint. 

The decision from Mike Sullivan came as he’s looking for more out of Othmann’s game and wants him to get real game action, which the Rangers can’t provide for him. 

“We talked to Otter just about attention to detail, a little bit of predictability and reliability with his respect to his game away from the puck and that being an important element of him earning his way on the roster as a regular,” Sullivan said. 

“The other aspect of it is, we don't want any one player, especially young players sitting on the sidelines. He was in the West Coast trip with us. He played one of the games. We would rather see him get into game action, so he has an opportunity to learn through those experiences. He's a young player. He's he's got a lot of his career in front of him, and so just balancing, if he's not in the lineup at the NHL level, does it make sense to have him as the extra forward, or does it make sense to allow him to go back to Hartford and get into the games and play in 18-plus minutes.”

Noah Laba's Emergence Has Had A Ripple Effect On The Rangers The emergence of Noah Laba has opened up a world of possibilities for the New York <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-rangers/">Rangers</a>.&nbsp;

What does the future hold for Othmann with the Rangers?

Recently, Othmann’s name has been the subject of trade rumors. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported on Oct. 16 that the Rangers are open to the idea of trading the 22-year-old forward, and these recent events will only ignite more speculation.

A trade certainly seems as if it could be in the cards, but for now, Othmann will continue to play big minutes in Hartford and prove himself with the hopes of eventually working his way back up to the NHL.