NEW YORK — Expansion was not discussed at the NHL's Board of Governors meeting on Wednesday, Commissioner Gary Bettman said afterward.

The league has been at 32 teams since Seattle entered for the 2021-22 season. There are groups who have aspirations of franchises in Atlanta and Houston, among other places.

“There is, and continues to be, interest from lots of places,” Bettman said. "But none of it has reached the level that we need to focus on at this point.”

Asked if the door could be opened on the expansion front at the next board meeting in December in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Bettman said that's not for the NHL to decide.

“If somebody knocks on the door, we’ll peek around to see who’s knocking and then decide what to do with it,” Bettman said.

Among other topics, Bettman expressed concern about the construction timeline of the main hockey arena in Milan for the upcoming Olympics and said it's up to the International Olympic Committee.

“We are constrained in what we can and can’t do, request and demand and if it reached a certain point, we’ll have to deal with it,” Bettman said. “But I’m not speculating, and we’ve been constantly assured by the IOC and the (International Ice Hockey Federation) that it will be OK."

The salary cap is seeing record increases this year and over the following two as revenues are skyrocketing. Bettman flatly denied buzz that had been going around about the cap being more than $104 million next season.

“There’s no change,” Bettman. “I know there’s a rumor going around that we’re in discussions about the cap. That’s absolutely, categorically untrue. There have been no discussions. It is what we’ve already agreed to.”

Bettman opened his chat with reporters by saying there was no news to report.

“Basically, it’s a nuts and bolts meeting,” Bettman said. “Nothing too dramatic.”

Governors - a mix of owners, team presidents, general managers and other executives - got updates on the state of the league, hockey operations and officiating and efforts to grow the game internationally.

Bettman said he had nothing to share on the sale process involving the Pittsburgh Penguins.

As planning continues for the 2028 World Cup of Hockey, Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said he expects 18 cities in North America and 10 in Europe to bid to host part of the event.

Asked about his future running the NHL, the 73-year-old Bettman said: “I’m here, and I’m not planning on going anywhere for a while. And I don’t know what a while is.”

CHICAGO — Jeff Blashill’s first three games with the Chicago Blackhawks were one-goal losses decided in the third period or overtime.

His fourth one was a long-awaited victory.

Blashill directed Chicago to a 3-1 win over Utah on Monday night for his first victory since he was hired by the Blackhawks in May.

“It was really disappointing over the first three games that we had moments of good hockey and put ourselves in position to win and didn’t,” Blashill said. “So to get the win is nice. For me personally, it’s, you know, it’s a good feeling. You want to get that first one out of the way, and hopefully there’s many more to come.”

Blashill, 51, is beginning his second stint as a head coach in the NHL after he went 204-261-72 in seven seasons with Detroit. He was an assistant with Tampa Bay for the previous three years.

The Michigan native is hoping to lead the Blackhawks out of a painful rebuilding project that had the team in last place in the Central Division in each of the previous three years.

This season just started, but there have been some encouraging signs.

“I like him as a coach and a person,” goaltender Spencer Knight said. “I really appreciate his eye for details, for building a style that is sustainable over time to win not just one hockey game in October, but to build a system that can win continuously over the course of a season and then hopefully into the postseason. That’s what really matters.”

The Blackhawks were tied at 2 after two periods in each of their first three games. They lost 4-3 in overtime at Boston on Thursday night. They dropped their home opener on Saturday on Kaiden Guhle’s goal with 15.7 seconds left, lifting Montreal to a 3-2 win.

Blashill’s team had a 1-0 lead over Utah before JJ Peterka scored for the Mammoth 1:02 into the third period. But Andre Burakovsky scored a power-play goal for Chicago at 8:55, and Ilya Mikheyev helped close it out with an empty-netter in the final seconds for his second goal of the night.

“We’ve been in this situation four times now where you know they’re one-goal games late,” Blashill said. “That’s a good thing. But you have to find ways to win. You can’t just be close in those games. You have to continue to find ways to win, which we did tonight.”

Like Knight, the 30-year-old Burakovsky also praised Blashill’s attention to details, and he said it played a role in the victory over the Mammoth.

“I think today, even though we maybe didn’t have so much puck the whole time, I think our details on the defensive side were really good,” he said. “And that’s something we’ve been working on. So good job by him to help us get through there.”

MONTREAL — The Montreal Canadiens signed last season’s NHL rookie of the year, defenseman Lane Hutson, to an eight-year, $70.8 million contract extension.

The extension kicks in for the 2026-27 season after Hutson’s rookie contract expires and runs through 2033-34. The 21-year-old is from Michigan and was selected in the second round of the 2022 draft out of Boston University.

In his first full NHL season, Hutson set a franchise single-season rookie record with 66 points and tied the franchise mark with a team-leading 60 assists. He led all rookies in points as well as 26 power-play points and by averaging 22 minutes and 44 seconds of ice time over 82 games.

Hutson played a role in helping the young, rebuilding Canadiens qualify for the playoffs last season for the first time in four years.

He became the Canadiens’ seventh player to win the Calder Trophy and first since goalie Ken Dryden in 1971-72.

NEW YORK — Matthew Schaefer won’t soon forget his first NHL goal.

The 18-year-old defenseman and top overall pick in this year’s NHL Draft dove headfirst into the moment, literally.

Schaefer found a loose puck after a scramble in front of the net and lunged forward, poking it past Washington Capitals goalie Logan Thompson at 4:28 of the third period in the Islanders’ 4-2 loss Saturday night.

“It’s crazy, I love these fans,” Schaefer said of the reaction inside UBS Arena during New York’s home opener. “Getting your name chanted out there. It’s awesome, feels like home for sure. ... We want to win for the fans and we want to be there every night for them. They come out every night for us.

“We wish we could have gotten the win for them and for the team in here. We are going to keep working, keep working toward that.”

The goal cut Washington’s lead to two, but the Islanders couldn’t rally while falling to 0-2 on the season.

Still, it was a milestone for the rookie, who made the team out of training camp just months after hearing his name called first in Los Angeles at the draft.

“He kind of took the game over to be honest with you,” Islanders alternate captain Bo Horvat said. “He was our best player tonight. He was moving, he was obviously contributing. He is just so effective out there. He is just getting more and more comfortable every single game. He is a special player, we are lucky to have him.”

Brad Penner/Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Schaefer’s play has already earned the coaching staff’s full trust. After getting an assist for his first NHL point while logging 17:15 of ice time in the Islanders’ 4-3 season-opening loss at Pittsburgh on Thursday, he had a game-high 26:04 of ice time in this one. That was more than four minutes ahead of Mathew Barzal’s 21:28.

“I’m not balancing anything right now with the way he’s playing,” Islanders coach Patrick Roy said of Schaefer’s workload. “He forced me to play him — he forced us to play him — so we’re going to give it to him.”

Few players have entered the draft with less recent game experience. Schaefer played just 17 games for Erie of the Ontario Hockey League in 2024-25, missing time with mononucleosis and later a broken clavicle sustained while representing Canada at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship. He still managed 22 points (seven goals, 15 assists) and a plus-21 rating.

The Ontario native also captained Canada to gold medals at the 2024 Under-17 World Hockey Challenge and the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.

Now, just 18 and already on NHL ice, his first goal offered a glimpse of why the Islanders are looking for big things from the youngster for years to come.

SEATTLE — Jared McCann score with 3.8 seconds left in overtime, lifting the Seattle Kraken to a 2-1 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday night.

With time running down, Matty Beniers, who put the Kraken up 1-0 in the second period, ripped a shot from the left circle that bounced off goalie Adin Hill’s pads. McCann was positioned right on top of the crease and shot the rebound past Hill for his second goal of the year and his 400th career point.

Joey Daccord made 26 saves, with four of those in overtime. He has 61 saves through his first two games.

The Kraken have their first 2-0-0 start in team history.

Pavel Dorofeyev scored his league-leading fifth goal of the season for the Knights. Hill made 20 saves.

Each of Vegas’ first three games have gone beyond regulation. The Knights (1-0-2) fell 6-5 in a shootout to Los Angeles on Wednesday, then came from behind to beat San Jose on Thursday, 4-3.

Beniers scored at 7:58 of the second period with his first of the year and Seattle’s first on the power play, tucking in a back pass from Jordan Eberle just inside the right post past Hill.

Dorofeyev tied it 1-1 at 4:11 of the third on the power play. That was his fourth of the season with the man advantage, also a league high. He has all four of Vegas’ power-play goals. This one came on a shot from the left circle on a pass from Mark Stone.

It was just Seattle’s fifth win in 15 games against Vegas.

Up next

Golden Knights: Visit Calgary on Tuesday night.

Kraken: Visit Montreal on Tuesday night to start a six-game road trip.

DENVER — Jason Robertson and Mikko Rantanen scored shootout goals, Jake Oettinger stopped Nathan MacKinnon on Colorado’s final shot, and the Dallas Stars beat the Avalanche 5-4 on Saturday night.

Oettinger had 35 saves through overtime and two more in the shootout for Dallas, which spoiled a milestone night for Brent Burns, who had an assist for his first point in a Colorado sweater.

Burns became the eighth defenseman to play in 1,500 career games and he extended his ironman streak in the NHL at 928 games, the longest active one in the NHL and fourth longest in league history.

Thomas Harley had a goal and an assist and Nathan Bastian and Robertson scored 3:03 apart in the second period to give Dallas a 3-2 lead.

Rantanen helped eliminate his former team in Game 7 of the first round last spring with a third-period hat trick. He got the better of the Avalanche again, beating Scott Wedgewood for the deciding goal in the shootout.

Wedgewood stopped 18 shots and one in the shootout.

Saturday night had a playoff feel, with a fight, shoving matches and momentum swings throughout the night. Marty Necas and MacKinnon had a goal and two assists each for Colorado, but both were stopped by Oettinger in the shootout.

Artturi Lehkonen tied it 3-all 34 seconds into the third but Wyatt Johnston answered with a breakaway goal 1:24 later.

MacKinnon tied it with a power-play goal midway through the third period.

Gavin Brindley gave Colorado a 2-1 lead midway through the second period with his first career goal after Necas had answered Harley’s goal with his third of the season.

Up next

Stars: Host the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday night in their home opener.

Avalanche: On the road at the Buffalo Sabres on Monday night.

WINNIPEG, Manitoba — The spotlight was on Jonathan Toews when the Winnipeg Jets skated onto the ice for their season opener against Dallas.

The Winnipeg-born Toews received a loud, long cheer from the sold-out crowd when he was introduced before the Jets’ 5-4 loss.

The 37-year-old Jets center, who was playing his first NHL game since April 13, 2023, with the Chicago Blackhawks, logged 18:19 of ice time in his 1,068th career regular-season game. He had one shot on goal.

The three-time Stanley Cup champion and former Chicago captain missed the past two seasons for health reasons related to Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome and long COVID-19.

“Just a lot of energy. A lot of excitement. I’m just trying to contain myself there,” Toews said about the crowd’s welcome.

Toews said he felt “close” to being in game form. He played on the second line with wingers Gustav Nyquist and Nikita Chibrikov.

“But a lot of room for improvement, a lot of little things I can do better,” Toews said. “Definitely trying to start the play with the puck off the faceoffs. Didn’t really get that going for my line out there. But other than that there were some situations where the three of us created and had some chances, even on the power play as well.

“I was pretty close to making things happen, getting us on the board, so I think there are some positives I’m excited about. (I’ll) just keep trying to build on it.”

Jets coach Scott Arniel said Toews was a lot like his teammates — it took awhile for everyone to get going.

“I thought I saw changes in his game in that second period,” Arniel said. “He started to have the puck a little bit more, had some looks, that line started to do some things.

“At the end of the day, that’s a tough one because our whole group wasn’t good. And for him, certainly would’ve liked for it to be a better first game.”

The Dallas Stars also appreciated Toews’ effort to return to NHL action.

“It’s great to see him back,” Mikko Rantanen said. “I think it’s good for the league to have a player like him back in the lineup and back in the NHL, so happy for him.

“It was kind of long journey back and I thought he looked good out there, so just great for the league to have a face like that back on the ice.”

Dallas coach Glen Gulutzan, making his debut behind the bench in his second stint with the franchise, also tipped his hat to Toews.

“I felt good for him, you know,” Gulutzan said. “I’ve watched him and, you know, still a big body, strong on pucks. And you can see his, just some of his ‘headsiness’ around.

“And for a guy who hasn’t played for a while, boy, he’s a great player. He still looks good, and you watch him a little bit because he was one of the big guys in the game.”

PITTSBURGH — Matthew Schaefer jumped onto the darkened ice at PPG Paints Arena and, along with New York Islanders teammate Max Shabanov, took the traditional solo lap every player makes before their NHL debut.

It’s the only time the 18-year-old Schaefer looked like a rookie all night during New York’s 4-3 loss to Pittsburgh.

Confident and poised from the opening faceoff, the top overall pick in the June draft wasted little time showcasing why the Islanders coveted him after the balls bounced their way during the draft lottery.

Schaefer needed all of 12 minutes to collect the first point of his career, making a deft pass from the half wall to Jonathan Drouin in the slot. Drouin’s knuckler fluttered by Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry to pull New York even.

“Our team is so easy to make plays with, everyone is in the right spot,” Schaefer said with a shrug. “I found (Drouin) there, and it was an easy pass to him and of course he puts it in the back of the net.”

Islanders coach Patrick Roy didn’t waste time going to Schaefer, who played more than seven minutes in the opening period alone. Schaefer finished with 17:15 of ice time in all, including some with the New York net empty late as the Islanders tried to tie it.

“I thought he was really good,” Roy said of Schaefer. “He was good at the end. Throwing pucks at the net. I thought that he seemed very comfortable, very confident out there. So I’m very pleased with him.”

Schaefer, who had around 30 friends and family in attendance, admitted there were some jitters during his first couple of shifts but he didn’t exactly genuflect in the direction of Penguins icons Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang. The club’s Big Three are entering their 20th season playing alongside each other, a run that began before Schaefer was born.

While Schaefer isn’t entering the league with the same external expectations that followed Crosby to the NHL two decades ago — when Crosby himself arrived in the league at 18 as the top pick in the draft — Schaefer understands how important his arrival and development are for a team that hasn’t won a Stanley Cup in more than 40 years.

Yes, it’s cool that he made the club out of training camp barely a month after turning 18. He’s not here to sell tickets and generate interest, but to help the Islanders take a step forward in the competitive Metropolitan Division sooner rather than later.

Near breathless as he talked after becoming the second-youngest NHL defenseman to make his debut in 70 years, Schaefer wasn’t particularly interested in trying to put the moment in perspective as he was regretting the result.

The Islanders controlled the game for extended stretches and threw 38 shots at Jarry. Save for a couple of costly breakdowns in front of their own net — which allowed Malkin and Crosby to work their magic — New York played with speed and purpose, which the Islanders hope offered a blueprint for what’s to come, the new kid included.

“I thought we brought it tonight,” Schaefer said. “Wish we could have got the win. Hate losing. Now we know and we’re going to learn from it and focus on our next game. But I thought it was a great first game for us. I just wish we got the win.”

Jack Eichel and the Vegas Golden Knights have agreed to terms on an eight-year contract extension worth $108 million, according to a report

Eichel will count $13.5 million against the salary cap from the time the new contract kicks in for the 2026-27 season through 2034. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the extension had not been announced.

The soon-to-be 29-year-old center is the latest high-profile player to re-up with his current team after Minnesota’s Kirill Kaprizov inked the richest deal in league history at $136 million over eight years, Connor McDavid opted to stay in Edmonton on a short-term deal without a raise from his current $12.5 million salary and Kyle Connor re-signed in Winnipeg for the maximum eight years at $12 million annually.

Eichel is coming off setting career highs with 66 assists and 94 points last season, when the Golden Knights finished first in the Pacific Division. He helped them win the Stanley Cup in 2023.

His representatives and Vegas’ front office reached the agreement roughly six hours before the start of the season. Asked before training camp opened if he would shut down negotiations once meaningful games get going, Eichel brushed off the question.

“If a contract happens organically, then it happens,” Eichel said in Las Vegas at the NHL/NHLPA preseason player media tour. “You can only control so much, right, and that’s sort of in my mindset. What are the things that I focus on? Preparing for the season, getting my mind and body in the best place to be successful and help our hockey team. That’s more so my focus. I think anything else sort of just takes care of itself when you do your job well.”

Eichel was the second pick in the 2015 draft by Buffalo. He played his first five-plus seasons for the Sabres before a dispute over surgery to repair his neck injury led to a trade to Vegas in ’21.

Since undergoing artificial disk replacement, Eichel has produced above a point-a-game level for the Knights. He was the No. 1 center for the U.S. at the 4 Nations Face-Off and already was named to the Olympic team.

EDMONTON, Alberta — The Edmonton Oilers signed defenseman Mattias Ekholm to a three-year, $12 million contract extension, the team announced.

Ekholm will count $4 million against the salary through the 2028-29 NHL season. His deal comes two days after the Oilers locked up defenseman Jake Walman for seven years and $49 million and captain Connor McDavid for two seasons and $25 million.

Ekholm recorded nine goals and 24 assists in 65 games last season and returned from a torn adductor muscle to post a goal and five assists in seven playoff games.

The 35-year-old Swede averaged more than 22 minutes per game and ranked among Edmonton’s leaders in penalty-killing ice time.

Acquired from Nashville late in the 2022-23 season, Ekholm has 92 points and a plus-83 rating in 165 games with the Oilers. He has 360 points in nearly 900 career NHL games and has appeared in the Stanley Cup Final three times.