* The Penguins and Sharks each captured overtime victories after withstanding multi-goal, third-period rallies from their opponents and did so with the help of their high-impact stars.
* Nineteen-year-old Matthew Schaefer and 20-year-old Victor Eklund (celebrating his birthday) helped the Islanders capture their third straight home win against the Devils – outscoring their division rivals 17-1 in those contests.
* The Avalanche, Mammoth and Wild each remained perfect to start 2026-27 but the reigning Presidents’ Trophy winners joined rare company in NHL history in the process thanks to another offensive outburst.
VETERANS HELP PENGUINS SURVIVE LATE CANADIENS RALLY. . .
Evgeni Malkin (1-2—3), Kris Letang (0-2—2) and Sidney Crosby (0-1—1) helped the Penguins build a 5-1 lead before captain Nick Suzuki (1-3—4), Lane Hutson (0-3—3) and Ivan Demidov (1-1—2) drew even with a tying tally with 44 seconds remaining in regulation. However, Malkin and Letang combined on Tommy Novak’s (2-1—3) overtime winner to lift Pittsburgh to its second straight victory to start the 2026-27 regular season.
* Malkin became the second 40-year-old in NHL history to score in each of his team’s first two games of a season, alongside Gordie Howe (2 GP in 1968-69), while his longtime teammate, Letang (203-698—901 in 1,392 GP), became the fourth active defenseman to record 900 career points (regular-season & playoffs). He joined Brent Burns (1,030), teammate Erik Karlsson (995) and Victor Hedman (931).
* Crosby (654-1,109—1,763 in 1,422 GP) recorded his 1,109th career assist and tied Joe Thornton for seventh place on the NHL’s all-time list. He also moved within two assists of tying Ray Bourque (1,111 w/ BOS) for the most by one player with a single franchise in NHL history.
. . . WHILE YOUTH HELP SHARKS WITHSTAND LATE KINGS RALLY
Igor Chernyshov (2-1—3), Macklin Celebrini (0-2—2) and Ivar Stenberg (0-1—1), who recorded his first NHL point, all found the score sheet to give San Jose a lead heading into the third period but a late rally by the Kings forced a second straight overtime game for the Sharks. Celebrini and Chernyshov then connected on the latter’s first career overtime goal and helped the club win each of its first two games of a season, both beyond regulation, for the first time in franchise history.
* Chernyshov became the seventh Sharks player to score an overtime winner at age 20 or younger, joining Celebrini (3x; last: Nov. 18, 2025), Michael Misa (March 1, 2026), Will Smith (Oct. 23, 2025), Patrick Marleau (Nov. 28, 1999), Marco Sturm (Jan. 2, 1999) and Jeff Friesen (March 28, 1995).
* Celebrini boosted his season totals to 0-5—5 with his eighth career overtime helper, which tied Tomas Hertl and Patrick Marleau (both w/ 8) for the fifth most overtime assists in franchise history. In fact, Celebrini already has the most overtime assists and points (3-8—11) among any player in NHL history before their 21st birthday.
SCHAEFER, SOROKIN, EKLUND LIFT ISLANDERS TO FIRST VICTORY OF 2026-27
Matthew Schaefer (0-2—2) put up a multi-point showing and climbed an elite list, Ilya Sorokin turned aside all 37 shots he faced and Victor Eklund (1-1—2) celebrated his birthday with his first career goal as the Islanders earned their first victory of the season. New York has scored 17 consecutive home goals against New Jersey dating to Dec. 23, 2025.
* Only three teams in the past 30 years have scored as many consecutive goals at home against a single opponent: the Blue Jackets (19 vs. NYI from 2016-17 – 2017-18), Senators (18 vs. BUF from 2003-04 – 2005-06) and Bruins (17 vs. CGY from 2009-10 – 2014-15).
* Sorokin (310 GP) recorded the 30th shutout of his career and required the sixth-fewest games by a goaltender born outside North America to reach the mark, following Charlie Gardiner (245 GP), Jaroslav Halak (272 GP), Pekka Rinne (274 GP), Tuukka Rask (288 GP) and Antti Niemi (204 GP). He also became the fastest active goaltender to 30 career shutouts, besting Darcy Kuemper (329 GP).
* Eklund, who turned 20 years old on Saturday, became the first Islanders player to score his first career goal on his birthday and the fifth in the past 17 years. Fans at UBS Arena stuck around after the game to serenade the rookie with “Happy Birthday.”
HANDFUL OF CLUBS REMAIN PERFECT TO START SEASON
Star players rose to the occasion and helped the Avalanche, Mammoth and Wild each improve to 2-0-0 to start the 2026-27 campaign. Colorado has started a campaign with back-to-back wins for the second time in as many seasons, while Minnesota did so for the first time since 2021-22 and Utah accomplished the feat for the second time in three campaigns.
* Martin Necas (2-1—3) and Nathan MacKinnon (0-3—3) potted three points apiece and helped the Avalanche continue their offensive outburst into the club’s second game of the season – a stretch that watched Colorado score multiple times in each of their first five regulation periods of 2026-27.
* The Avalanche, whose 14 goals tied a franchise benchmark for the most through the first two games of a season (14 in 1992-93 – excluding shootout-deciding goals), have recorded the second-highest total by a reigning President’s Trophy winner behind the 1989-90 Flames (16).
* Necas scored his 50th career goal with the Avalanche (50-81—131 in 110 GP). He became the seventh player in franchise history to hit the mark in 110 games or fewer behind Jacques Richard (86 GP), Real Cloutier (88 GP), Marian Stastny (92 GP), Peter Stastny (92 GP), Anton Stastny (104 GP) and Marc Tardif (106 GP).
* Dylan Guenther (1-2—3) recorded a second straight multi-point outing to begin 2026-27 and became the third player in NHL history to score in each of a franchise’s first three road openers, joining Jared McCann (5 GP from 2021-22 – 2025-26 w/ SEA) and Newsy Lalonde (3 from 1917-18 – 1919-20 w/ MTL). Guenther was one of five Mammoth players with multiple points Saturday – the franchise is a perfect 13-0-0 when they have five-plus players posting at least two points in a game. Utah is also a perfect 9-0-0 when Guenther records at least three points in a contest.
* Kirill Kaprizov (2-0—2) and Quinn Hughes (0-2—2) led the Wild offensively. Hughes boosted his career totals with Minnesota to 6-50—56 and tied Mark Howe (18-38—56 w/ HFD) and Harry Cameron (34-22—56 w/ TOR) for the fourth most by a defenseman through their first 50 games with a franchise behind Paul Coffey (17-57—74 in w/ PIT), Brad Park (16-45—61 w/ BOS) and Steve Duchesne (14-43—57 w/ QUE).
STARS SHINE BRIGHT ON SATURDAY
* Connor McDavid (1-1—2) collected multiple points for the third time in as many games to start the season and registered a primary assist on Leon Draisaitl’s go-ahead goal in the third period to inch closer to becoming the NHL’s first player with 10 points this season (2-7—9 in 3 GP). He became the first player with seven or more assists through his team’s first three games of a season since Brad Marchand (0-7—7 in 2018-19 w/ BOS).
* Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 20 of 21 shots he faced in his 600th career game to help the Lightning earn their first win of the season. Vasilevskiy (371-179-39, 42 SO) owns the most wins by any goaltender in NHL history at the time of the milestone contest; Sergei Bobrovsky (339) and Connor Hellebuyck (334) round out the top three.
* Sebastian Aho (2-1—3) factored on all three Hurricanes goals, including a secondary assist on Shayne Gostisbehere’s overtime winner, as the reigning Stanley Cup champions earned their first win of the season. Aho (50)passed Eric Staal (49) for the most game-opening goals in franchise history and did so 10 seconds into the contest – tied for the second-fastest tally to start a game in franchise history.
* Thomas Chabot (1-1—2) was one of two Senators with multiple points as his club skated to victory in the first rendition of the “Battle of Ontario” this season and became the first player in franchise history to score in his first game as captain. Auston Matthews also scored for the Maple Leafs as Saturday night was the first regular-season game to feature both captains in the rivalry score on the same night since Oct. 4, 2007, when Mats Sundin (Senior Executive Adviser of Hockey Operations) and Daniel Alfredsson (associate coach) did so – both now employed by Toronto.
* Steven Stamkos’ tying tally in Nashville’s comeback win was his first of the season and put him alongside Alex Ovechkin (706 GP) and Sidney Crosby (529 GP) as the only active player to find the back of the net in 500 different contests. Stamkos also passed Gordie Howe (126) for the seventh-most game-tying goals in NHL history.
QUICK CLICKS
* #NHLStats: Live Updates for Oct. 3, 2026
* Mario Lemieux takes part in Penguins 60th anniversary ceremony
* Matthew Schaefer ‘in good hands’ living with former Islanders forward Matt Martin, family
* Vincent Trocheck ready for ’emotional’ return to face Rangers with Mammoth
* Islanders have 105-year-old World War II veteran play national anthem on saxophone
* The NHL mourns the passing of Lyle Odelein
FIVE-GAME SUNDAY SEES FAMILIAR FACES FACE OFF IN ANAHEIM
A five-game Sunday features Cutter Gauthier and the Ducks battling former Anaheim captain Radko Gudas and the Panthers at Honda Center. Anaheim has won each of its past 10 home openers and can match the longest such streak in NHL history (11 GP) – a mark set by the Canadiens from 1953-54 to 1963-64 and tied by the Bruins this past Friday (dating to 2016-17).
