NHL Previews

There will be good vibes all around, with pleasant memories of a not-so-distant past, when the Florida Panthers face the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday in their home opener at Sunrise, Fla. “I’ve been waiting for this game in particular all summer,” Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk said. “I can’t wait to see the reception that the fans show us. “Hopefully, we can put on a good show for them.” Florida, which went 1-2-0 during its

It took a third try and a rally back from a blown lead before the Buffalo Sabres finally were able to celebrate their first victory of the season. The Sabres now will try to gather momentum when they play host to the Calgary Flames on Thursday night. The Sabres, who have yet to find their offensive stride, came through with a solid defensive game, and an overtime winner, to defeat the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2

The Arizona Coyotes aim to ignite their offense on Thursday when they conclude their season-opening, four-game road trip against the St. Louis Blues. The Coyotes started the trek on a high note with a 4-3 shootout victory over the New Jersey Devils on Friday. They followed that up by dropping one-goal decisions to the New York Rangers and New York Islanders. Arizona mustered just six shots on goal through the first two periods Tuesday and

The New York Rangers and Nashville Predators share the distinction of playing under new coaches, a time when growing pains often are expected. The Rangers, so far, seem to have escaped them. The Rangers are off to a 2-1-0 start, largely thanks to the early performance of Chris Kreider, who has scored in all three games. Kreider can tie a team record for the longest streak to begin a season on Thursday night against the

The Ottawa Senators will aim for their third straight win when they host the Washington Capitals on Wednesday night. Ottawa opened a five-game homestand with a pair of 5-2 wins against the Philadelphia Flyers and Tampa Bay Lightning over the weekend. Washington begins a brief two-game Canada swing after splitting a pair of home games. After being blanked by the Pittsburgh Penguins on opening night, the Capitals rallied from a 2-0 deficit to defeat the

Pittsburgh and Detroit both have won their last two games after a season-opening loss. They’ll match up on the Red Wings’ home ice on Wednesday night. The Penguins were defeated by Chicago 4-2, then won both ends of a back-to-back over the weekend. They shut out Washington 4-0 on the road, then returned home for a 5-2 victory over Calgary. Evgeni Malkin has gotten off to a strong start. The 37-year-old forward has six points,

Brock Nelson enjoyed a breakout year last season when he followed a career-high 37 goals by scoring 36 times and producing a career-best 75 points to help the New York Islanders reach the playoffs. Nelson started the new campaign strong, recording a multi-point game in the season opener, and he will attempt to help the Islanders win their second straight contest on Tuesday night when they host the Arizona Coyotes in Elmont, N.Y. The Islanders

Forward Pierre-Luc Dubois and the Los Angeles Kings will take on the host Jets in downtown Winnipeg in a Tuesday matchup with a major storyline. It will be Dubois’ first game back in Winnipeg after he was traded to Los Angeles on June 27, 2023, by the Jets in exchange for Alex Iaffalo, Rasmus Kupari and Gabriel Vilardi, as well as a 2024 second-round draft pick. It was part of a sign-and-trade deal, which saw

Steven Stamkos still might not be available to help the Tampa Bay Lightning avoid their first 0-3-0 road start in 14 years. Meanwhile, the Buffalo Sabres are still searching for their first victory anywhere this season. Stamkos could miss a second consecutive contest as the Lightning again try for their initial road victory Tuesday night. Tampa Bay opened the season by rallying with four third-period goals to win 5-3 over Nashville at home. Since then,