* “The World’s Most Famous Arena” witnessed a sixth straight Rangers win to open the 2026-27 season – two shy of a franchise record – and did so once again thanks to the services of Alexis Lafrenière and Dylan Garand.
* It was a clash between the No. 1 and No. 2 picks of the 2026 NHL Draft at Scotiabank Arena and Gavin McKenna netted the game-winning goal against Ivar Stenberg. A first-overall pick has won each of the past five first-ever meetings against his draft year’s second-overall pick.
* The Jets and Canadiens, closing in on their meeting at the 2026 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic, are two of 22 teams taking to the ice Tuesday – a slate that also includes an ESPN and Sportsnet+ doubleheader, as well as the League’s top point producer and leading goal scorer facing off when Connor McDavid and the Oilers host Kirill Kaprizov and the Wild.
RANGERS SCORE EARLY AND OFTEN, IMPROVE TO 6-0-0 AT MSG
Sean Durzi scored 78 seconds into the contest, Alexis Lafrenière (0-2—2) factored on the game-winning goal and Dylan Garand (29 saves) fell 69 seconds shy of his second career shutout as the Rangers (7-3-1, 15 points) won each of their first six home games of a season for the third time in franchise history (8 GP in 1990-91 & 6 GP in 1983-84).
* Lafrenière (7-6—13 in 11 GP) sits tied for 11th in League scoring this season and can become the first Rangers player age 25 or younger to average at least a point per game in a single season (min. 10 GP) since Sergei Zubov (12-77—89 in 1993-94; 1.14 P/GP).
* The Rangers, who have drafted notable goaltenders like Henrik Lundqvist, Mike Richter, John Vanbiesbrouck and Igor Shesterkin, watched Garand (No. 103 in 2020) improve to 6-2-2 in his career. New York is one of five teams in NHL history with 1,000 or more wins by netminders they selected in the NHL Draft (1,287).
McKENNA LIFTS MAPLE LEAFS PAST STENBERG, SHARKS
Monday was the first meeting between the top-two picks in the 2026 NHL Draft and Gavin McKenna broke a third-period tie with his first career game-winning goal to lift the Maple Leafs over the No. 2 selection, Ivar Stenberg, and the Sharks.
* Fellow No. 1 pick, Auston Matthews (1-2—3), collected a primary assist on McKenna’s third goal of the season as the latter became the fifth Maple Leafs player age 18 or younger – and first in more than 80 years – to score a game-winning goal. The others: Jack Hamilton (4 in 1943-44), Ted Kennedy (2 in 1943-44), Bud Poile (1 in 1942-43) and Busher Jackson (1 in 1929-30).
* McKenna (3-3—6 in 10 GP) sits second in both goals and points among rookies in 2026-27, behind Trevor Connelly (4-3—7 w/ VGK), but has produced the second best 10-game start to a career by an 18-year-old Maple Leafs player in the NHL’s modern era, trailing Russ Courtnall (3-7—10 in 1983-84).
MAMMOTH MANAGE ANOTHER WIN IN HIGH-SCORING GAME
Utah’s 5-2 lead to begin the third period became a one-goal lead after Pittsburgh tallied twice. The Penguins pressed for the tying goal in the dying seconds but were denied any hope of extending the game beyond regulation by rookie goaltender Sebastian Cossa, whose ‘Save of the Year’ submission helped the Mammoth prevail in another high-scoring game at their home arena. Delta Center is one of two rinks treating fans to 8.00 goals per game or more this season (excluding shootout-deciding goals), alongside Rogers Arena in Vancouver (8.67).
* The Mammoth (7-3-0, 14 points) have recorded each of their wins this season in regulation – tied for the League lead with the Rangers. Utah’s offense has played a big role in its strong start as its 38 goals are tied with Colorado for the second most this season (VGK: 41) and its four contests with at least five goals trails only Vegas (5 GP).
* Four Mammoth players recorded multiple points in their win, including Nate Schmidt (1-1—2) and Kevin Stenlund (1-1—2) who did so for the first time this season. Utah now has 12 players who have posted a multi-point outing in 2026-27, which trails only the Penguins, Hurricanes, Avalanche and Devils (all w/ 13) for the most among all teams.
“CITY OF BROTHERLY LOVE” FEATURES FEEL-GOOD, FATHER-SON MOMENT
The Flyers captured their second win in as many contests after Trevor Zegras (0-3—3) assisted on all three Philadelphia goals against the Avalanche. The victory also featured Cole Knuble’s NHL debut (13:44 TOI), the son of Mike Knuble – who skated in 1,068 career games (338 GP w/ PHI). Mike’s 34 goals in 2005-06 were tied for the fourth most by a player in their first season with the franchise.
QUICK CLICKS
* #NHLStats: Live Updates for Oct. 19, 2026
* Brady Tkachuk leads 3 Stars of the Week after back-to-back hat tricks
* ‘The Price is Right’ sees NHL stars come on down to help contestants in Canada
* Connor McDavid off to torrid start with Mike Babcock’s ‘detailed, structured’ Oilers
* Kings hit road looking for first win of season
CANADIENS AND JETS BACK IN ACTION AS HERITAGE CLASSIC APPROACHES
The Jets (4-2-2, 10 points) and Canadiens (4-3-1, 9 points) will each take part in an 11-game Tuesday, with two games remaining before the two clubs clash at the 2026 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic at Princess Auto Stadium on Sunday, October 25 (7 p.m. ET; SN, TVAS, TNT, truTV and HBO Max). Click here for the #NHLStats Pack: 2026 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic – everything you need to know about the event.
* Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor have been foundations of the Jets offense since the latter made his NHL debut in 2016-17 and have combined for more than 1,400 points (647-808—1,455) – one of eight active teammates to reach the total during that span. Did You Know? Scheifele and Connor have factored on the same goal an NHL-leading 120 times in the past three seasons (since 2024-25).
* No Canadiens player has scored more goals for the franchise than Cole Caufield since he first debuted in 2020-21 (174), which includes the overtime winner for Montreal in his last outing. His 93 tallies since 2024-25 are tied with Leon Draisaitl for the most among all skaters.
* ICYMI: The NHL unveiled a first look at its planned transformation of Princess Auto Stadium in Winnipeg, Manitoba, for the 2026 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic. The NHL will convert the stadium into a larger-than-life Canadian cabin retreat, with the rink serving as the centerpiece of an immersive NHL Heritage Classic experience. At the heart of the stadium sits the outdoor rink, framed by oversized rustic timber logs that create the appearance of a massive cabin wall.
MORE MUST-SEE MOMENTS ARE ON THE HORIZON
A head-to-head meeting between the NHL’s leading scorer (Connor McDavid: 6-17—23) and goal-getter (Kirill Kaprizov: 10-5—15 in 9 GP) as well as Nikita Kucherov and Alex Ovechkin’s pursuit of a franchise record are just some of the must-see moments on tap Tuesday.
* McDavid has found the score sheet in every game to start 2026-27 and Kaprizov has scored in all but three games this season for the Wild as the pair of stars meet for their 14th regular season showdown (McDavid: 4-11—15 & 3-10-0; Kaprizov: 2-10—12 & 10-3-0). In general, the NHL’s point leader owns an 18-6-2 edge in head-to-head meetings with the League’s leading goal scorer (8-16-2) since 2021-22.
* A doubleheader on ESPN and Sportsnet+ concludes with a clash between Kucherov and Jack Eichel at T-Mobile Arena. Kucherov (404-730—1,134 in 887 GP), who has collected at least a point in every game he has played against Vegas (14 GP), needs four points to eclipse Steven Stamkos (555-582—1,137 in 1,082 GP) for the Lightning record.
* Ovechkin has collected assists in back-to-back contests and has boosted his career totals to 930-761—1,691. He needs two assists to overtake Nicklas Backstrom (762) for the most in franchise history and become the fourth player born outside North America to lead a franchise in goals, assists and points alongside Aleksander Barkov (FLA), Patrik Elias (NJD) and Daniel Alfredsson (OTT).
