Carolina Hurricanes 4-1 Seattle Kraken
The NHL took their season international for the first time in 2026/27, and on Thursday, the Carolina Hurricanes (15-3-2) took down the Seattle Kraken (9-7-1) as they battled in Finland as a part of the NHL's International Series. The occasion was marked by three goals from Finnish players, with Carolina's Sebastian Aho (2 goals) and Juuso Valimaki (1 goal) finding the back of the net in their home country as the crowd erupted in support.
Seattle, to their credit fought hard, with a late goal from Frederick Gaudreau giving them a consolation goal in game one of the International Series, but with just 13 shots on net in the game, it was always going to be tough to take down the defending Stanley Cup Champions.
Montreal Canadiens 5-2 Boston Bruins
The Montreal Canadiens (12-3-4) have been one of the NHL's best teams early in the season, and with a 5-2 win over the Boston Bruins (13-5-1) on Thursday night, they move to 7-1-1 away from home in 2026/27 to date. Midway through the second period, the Canadiens got a goal from Phillip Danault that gave them the 5-0 lead, and while Boston clawed their way back with two goals to Casey Mittelstadt, it wasn't enough on a tough night for the Bruins.
While he allowed those two late goals, Jacob Fowler was once again beyond dominant, stopping 30 of the 32 shots as he moved to 8-1-2 as the Canadiens starter this season, with Montreal picking up a key two points in the Atlantic Division race.
Minnesota Wild 5-2 Toronto Maple Leafs
While it's early in 2026/27, the Minnesota Wild (14-3-4) have established themselves as genuine Stanley Cup contenders, and only further cemented themselves that way with their dominant 5-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs (8-11-2) on Thursday. Once again, Minnesota's offense was led by Matt Boldy, who this time secured an impressive hat-trick, with Kirill Kaprizov chipping in three assists of his own.
The Maple Leafs put up a valiant effort, taking a 2-1 lead early in the second period with a goal and an assist from Zack MacEwen, but in the end it was Jesper Wallstedt making 26 saves that sealed the deal for Minnesota as they picked up the key victory.
Ottawa Senators 4-3 Colorado Avalanche
The Ottawa Senators (12-6-2) haven't been at their best as of late, but on Thursday, they battled through, picking up a key two points against a Colorado Avalanche (11-6-3) team that lost their two best players for the third period. For Ottawa, the success was all about Shane Pinto (2 goals, 1 assist), as he assisted on the game tying goal late in the third period and then finished things off with an OT game-winner.
Despite losing both Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar, the Avalanche scored two third period goals through Parker Kelly and Gabriel Landeskog, but ultimately they fell short as the team now move to 4-5-1 away from home this season as they aim to improve that mark.
New Jersey Devils 5-2 Washington Capitals
The New Jersey Devils (14-6-0) have been red-hot since acquiring Connor Hellebuyck, and he was at his best again on Thursday, making 26 stops as the Devils picked up a huge 5-2 win against the Metropolitan Division rival Washington Capitals (10-7-0). It was the offense that led the way for New Jersey however, as Evan Rodrigues (1G, 1A) and Arseny Gritsyuk (1G, 1A), both had multiple points as the team cashed in at home, moving to 9-2-0 on home ice this season.
It was a good effort for Washington, who had goals from Ryan Leonard and Pierre-Luc Dubois, but ultimately with Logan Thompson (4 goals on 28 shots) having a very off night for the star goaltender, the team just couldn't keep pace with a red-hot team.
Tampa Bay Lightning 3-1 Columbus Blue Jackets
Off the ice, it's been a rollercoaster recently for the Tampa Bay Lightning (13-4-2), but on the ice they've remained dominant, and that continued on both ends of the ice against the Columbus Blue Jackets (7-10-0) on Thursday night. After two periods, this was a very tight one being tied at 1-1, but in the third the Lightning took over, with a goal to Jake Guentzel and the second of the night to Brandon Hagel sealing the deal.
It was Dennis Hildeby in net that dominated for Tampa Bay with 28/29 in saves on the night, and for the Blue Jackets, a record of just 6-5-0 at home as they remain under .500 on the season shows this team may be struggling mightily in 2026/27.
Florida Panthers 5-4 Detroit Red Wings
Into the third period, the Detroit Red Wings (7-10-3) looked like they had this game against the division rival Florida Panthers (11-7-2) all tied up, but then, the two-time Stanley Cup Champions showed just how tough they can be to beat. In the third, Florida got two goals from Anton Lundell and one to Lars Eller as they completely erased the 4-1 deficit, moving to 5-2-0 at home this season with the improbable comeback victory.
Before the collpase, the Red Wings got goals from four different skaters in Compher, Englund, Raymond and Kasper, but clearly it wasn't enough as the Panthers turned it on in the final frame, picking up a crucial 5-4 win over an Atlantic Divison rival in the process.
Chicago Blackhawks 3-2 Buffalo Sabres
The Chicago Blackhawks (5-13-1) have been off to a horrendous start in 2026/27, but with some exciting young talent coming through, they were able to pick up a huge win against the promising Buffalo Sabres (8-7-4) on Thursday night. It was the youth that led the way for Chicago too, as Frank Nazar tallied both goals in regulation, with the Sabres getting goals from Owen Power and Tage Thompson as things went to overtime tied 2-2.
There, it was veteran Ryan Donato to finish the job for Chicago, and with Spencer Knight making 21 saves to get the Blackhawks a critical win, the future continues to look bright for an organization that's struggling to take a step forward.
Winnipeg Jets 8-3 Dallas Stars
The Winnipeg Jets (9-8-3) have been a team of runs in recent times, as they went from dropping nine straight games to now, picking up their fifth straight win on Thursday night against the Dallas Stars (10-6-2). This time, it was an offensive onslaught for the Jets with Mark Scheifele, Dawson Mercer, Kyle Connor, Dylan Samberg, Cole Perfetti and Gabe Vilardi all picking up multiple points on the night.
On the flipside, it was a rough outing for Jake Oettinger who was pulled after allowing six goals on 27 shots, and with Casey DeSmith allowing two goals on just three shots, it was a night to forget for the Stars despite ending the first period with a 2-0 lead.