SEATTLE — Mason Marchment scored in his Seattle debut Thursday night as the Kraken won a season opener for the first time in five tries, 3-1 at Climate Pledge Arena.

Jared McCann made it 3-1 off a lovely swat pass from Matty Beniers behind the Anaheim Ducks net. McCann has four goals in five Kraken season openers. His linemate Jordan Eberle ...Read more

SAN JOSE, Calif. – Alex Nedeljkovic was enjoying a stellar debut with the San Jose Sharks on Thursday night before everything fell apart late in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Vegas Golden Knights at SAP Center.

The Sharks led 3-2 late in the third period when William Eklund missed a wraparound chance to score on an empty net. Just seconds later,...Read more

DENVER — Nathan MacKinnon remains a Martian.

And with that reaffirmation, Avs fans streamed out of Ball Arena on Thursday knowing that with one of the best forwards in the world wearing a burgundy and blue sweater, Colorado could go as far this season as No. 29 will take them.

The Avs beat Utah, 2-1, in Colorado’s 2025-26 home opener and ...Read more

BOSTON — The young and speedy Chicago Blackhawks gave the Bruins all they could handle, but it was a kid in Black and Gold who decided the fun back-and-forth home opener at TD Garden on Thursday.

On a 2-on-1 in overtime, Fraser Minten kept it for himself and sizzled a wrist shot past goalie Arvid Soderblom to lift the B’s to a 4-3 victory. ...Read more

TAMPA, Fla. — With their newest member setting the tone, the Lightning started the season strong Thursday night against the Senators at Benchmark International Arena, taking a two-goal lead after one period.

But Ottawa has given Tampa Bay trouble, and in the first game of the season its play served as a reminder of how momentum can shift over...Read more

RALEIGH, N.C. — K’Andre Miller had yet to play his first game for the Carolina Hurricanes, but on Thursday the defenseman was aware of the challenge ahead.

“I think we’re pretty good on paper, but it’s a matter of proving it game in and game out,” Miller said before the season opener against the New Jersey Devils. “You can say all...Read more

SUNRISE, Fla. — Brad Marchand scored the go-ahead goal in the third period as the Florida Panthers beat the Philadelphia Flyers, 2-1, on Thursday at Amerant Bank Arena.

Anton Lundell also scored for Florida (2-0-0), while Sergei Bobrovsky made 19 saves to get his 431st career win, moving him six shy of tying Jacques Plante for ninth overall ...Read more

DETROIT — As season openers go, this was a dud.

The crowd was energized, the atmosphere was magical as the Red Wings begin their 100th season, and there was excitement about the Wings' three rookies in the lineup.

Then, the game started Thursday and the Wings lost to Montreal, 5-1.

Dylan Larkin scored 3 minutes, 50 seconds into the game, on...Read more

Right wing Pavel Dorofeyev notched a hat trick in the second period, but the Golden Knights lost 6-5 to the Los Angeles Kings in a shootout Wednesday at T-Mobile Arena.

Center Jack Eichel had a goal and three assists after signing an eight-year, $108 million extension earlier Wednesday. It was his second straight opener with four points.

Right...Read more

WASHINGTON — The 2025-26 Boston Bruins will not be the most aesthetically pleasing hockey team we’ve ever seen. But if their brand can produce the kind of results we saw in the season opener in at Capital One Arena, they will no doubt be forgiven.

The B’s frustrated the Washington Capitals in the neutral zone, got good goaltending, won ...Read more

RALEIGH, N.C — The Edmonton Oilers, famously, had the New York Islanders. The Florida Panthers had the Tampa Bay Lightning. Steel sharpens steel. Sometimes, it takes a dynasty to make a dynasty. It takes a multiple champion to create a multiple champion.

Wayne Gretzky’s Oilers couldn’t become what they became until they found a way past ...Read more

LAS VEGAS — It was never a question of if the Golden Knights would sign center Jack Eichel to the largest contract in franchise history. It was only a matter of when.

The two sides finished the deal Wednesday, with Eichel signing an eight-year extension with the Knights with an average annual value of $13.5 million. The deal will give him the...Read more

PITTSBURGH — I'm still trying to get over the fact that new Penguins coach Dan Muse looks more like Pirates broadcaster Joe Block than Joe Block does.

I'm still not sure Muse isn't Joe Block. I half-expect him to launch into baseball soliloquies every time he is interviewed.

But that isn't the story today. The story is this: Muse took his ...Read more

TAMPA, Fla. — It’s easy to pick on NHL executives when it comes to player safety.

The issues, after all, are complex. The fans, without a doubt, are partisan. The stakes, everyone knows, are high.

Also, and this is likely the most important factor, league executives are a bunch of cowards.

None of this should come as a surprise after the ...Read more

SUNRISE, Fla. — Beware the champion that is wounded, and doubted. You have given that team another layer of hunger, an element of underdog motivation — ill-fitting as that seems.

The Florida Panthers opened their 32nd NHL season Tuesday afternoon-into-night (an odd 5 p.m. puck drop) as a two-time defending Stanley Cup champ.

“We want ...Read more

NEW YORK — The Dan Muse era began Tuesday with a 3-0 win for the Penguins.

In Muse’s first game as an NHL head coach, the Penguins won their season opener against Mike Sullivan and the rival New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.

It was probably happenstance that Muse’s first game as a head coach came against his previous team. He ...Read more

SUNRISE, Fla. — Aaron Ekblad brought the Stanley Cup to the ice pregame Tuesday. Moments later, the Florida Panthers watched as their second championship banner rose into the rafters at Amerant Bank Arena.

“We want three!” the sold-out home crowd chanted.

Their quest to do just that is starting on the right note.

Jesper Boqvist scored ...Read more

SUNRISE, Fla. — The final piece of the Florida Panthers’ emotional 24-hour reflection of their latest championship run is complete.

The team raised its second Stanley Cup championship banner on Tuesday ahead of its season opener against the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday at Amerant Bank Arena.

It was a relatively subdued pregame ceremony. ...Read more