Washington Capitals 4-2 New Jersey Devils
Early on Saturday, we saw a matchup of Metropolitan Division heavyweights with the Washington Capitals (5-3-0) taking on the New Jersey Devils (4-4-0), with both teams being considered Stanley Cup Playoffs contenders entering 2026/27. Early on, this was a tight battle, but in the second period it was the Capitals that pulled away, with goals to Ilya Protas, Dylan Strome and Boone Jenner giving them a three-goal lead heading into the final frame.
Unfortunately for New Jersey, that was too much to overcome, and while Timo Meier picked up a consolation goal in the third, the Devils weren't able to complete the comeback, with 29 saves from Logan Thompson helping the Capitals to 4-1-0 at home early in the season.
Carolina Hurricanes 3-2 Winnipeg Jets
Thus far, there's been no signs of a Stanley Cup hangover for the Carolina Hurricanes (7-1-1), and with a perfect start on the road, they got the chance for another win against the Winnipeg Jets (4-2-2) on Saturday. After two periods, this game was deadlocked at 2-2, and in the third, it was former Jets star Nikolaj Ehlers that capped off the win, tallying the game winning goal six minutes into the period.
There were encouraging signs again from the Jets, with Clay Stevenson stopping 34 of the 37 shots that he saw on the night, but given how relentless this 'Canes team is, they came away with the clinical win in the end, moving to 5-0-0 on the season away from home.
Tampa Bay Lightning 4-2 Vancouver Canucks
The Tampa Bay Lightning (6-2-0) have been the NHL's most consistent team thus far in the 2020's, and although they faced a weaker opponent in the Vancouver Canucks (2-7-1), they looked dominant once more on Saturday. Until late, this game was 3-2 with the Canucks pushing hard, but with third period goals to Jake Guentzel and Pontus Holmberg, the Lightning pulled away to move to 5-0-0 at home on the season.
In net, the team got enough from Dennis Hildeby, limiting Vancouver to just 14 shots in the game, and while goals to Linus Karlsson and Elias Pettersson kept the Canucks in the game, they've fallen once more as they continue to struggle early in 2026/27.
Florida Panthers 8-3 Seattle Kraken
The Florida Panthers (5-2-2) are finally relatively healthy again, and while they've been inconsistent early in the year, they've been fantastic in their last few games, and that continued against the Seattle Kraken (5-3-1) on Saturday. After back-to-back hat-tricks from Brady Tkachuk, he added another two assists, with hat-tricks to Sam Bennett and Carter Verhaeghe fueling another offensive explosion.
Seattle's offense wasn't terrible, with two assists to both Berkly Catton and Kaapo Kakko getting them to three goals, but with the might of Florida's offense, Joey Daccord allowed all 8 goals on 37 shots as the Panthers continued their red-hot run.
New York Islanders 4-1 Toronto Maple Leafs
The New York Islanders (4-3-1) have been off to a steady start in 2026/27, and on the road on Saturday, they had the opportunity to cause a big upset over the star studded Toronto Maple Leafs (3-4-2). They did just that in quite dominant fashion, as they scored in each period, capped off with a two-goal third period from Simon Holmstrom, picking up the 4-1 victory in the process.
In net, Ilya Sorokin made 28 saves on the 29 shots he saw, and despite Sergei Bobrovsky seeing 10 less shots than that, he gave up three goals, with the Islanders capping off a fantastic performance with the Holmstrom empty-netter that handed Toronto their third straight defeat.
Dallas Stars 4-0 Chicago Blackhawks
The Dallas Stars (4-3-1) have Stanley Cup aspirations in 2026/27. The Chicago Blackhawks (3-6-0) remain a rebuilding squad. Unsurprisingly, when the two met it was all one-way traffic in favor of the road team, with Arttu Hyry talling two goals on the night as Dallas moved to 3-1-1 on the road early in the 2026/27 regular season.
There were some positives from the Blackhawks, as Spencer Knight made 28 saves, but with the team simply not having the depth of star power that they would have liked after years of rebuilding, this was a team that was dismantled against a genuine powerhouse.
Montreal Canadiens 4-3 Buffalo Sabres
The Montreal Canadiens (4-3-1) and Buffalo Sabres (4-3-2) both took huge steps forward in 2025/26, and in a division that's so intense and competitive, each and every game early in the season could change their fate this time around. On Saturday, the two teams battled to overtime, with six different goal scorers making it 3-3 after regulation in this Atlantic Division showdown.
Once again, it was Cole Caufield that showed up when it mattered most however, and on a clean breakaway, No. 13 sealed the deal with his second of the night as both teams came away with points in this chaotic, thrilling matchup between two of the most exciting young teams in the NHL.
