The Sabres skated to their first win of the season and did so because of an eight-goal displaying. The offensive outburst was ignited by three gamers with a number of targets and eight gamers with a number of factors.
* Connor Bedard collected three assists because the Blackhawks scored eight targets towards the Blues for the eighth time within the historical past of the rivalry and first since Oct. 26, 1993.
* Matthew Schaefer and Connor McDavid, Erie Otters alumni and No. 1 picks of their respective NHL Drafts, will go head-to-head for the primary time when the Islanders and Oilers conflict in a sport broadcast nationally on ESPN+ in the USA and SN360 in Canada.
SABRES SCORE GOALS GALORE IN FIRST WIN OF 2025-26Thirteen completely different gamers discovered the rating sheet – and eight had multi-point outings – because the Sabres scored eight targets and earned their first win of the 2025-26 season. Buffalo, which benefited from 4 special-team targets in a single sport for the primary time since March 31, 2018 (4 PPGs), recorded its fifth straight win towards Ottawa since Nov. 5, 2024 – the membership’s longest lively run versus one opponent.
* The Sabres had three completely different skaters with a number of targets for the fifth time since 2000-01 and in addition had at the very least eight completely different gamers with a number of factors in the identical sport for the fifth time throughout that very same span. The others: Jan. 27, 2009 (10), Jan. 18, 2008 (9), March 2, 2007 (9) and Nov. 3, 2018 (8).
* Rasmus Dahlin (0-2—2), considered one of six gamers named to Workforce Sweden’s preliminary roster for the Olympic Winter Video games Milano Cortina 2026, collected his fiftieth profession multi-assist outing and have become the fourth lively Swedish blueliner to succeed in the benchmark. The others: Erik Karlsson (136), Victor Hedman (119) and John Klingberg (57).
BEDARD SHINES IN CHICAGO’S EIGHT-GOAL OUTBURSTConnor Bedard (0-3—3) factored on three of eight Blackhawks tallies and helped Chicago rating eight targets in a sport for the primary time since March 8, 2022 (8-3 W vs. ANA) and first of their longstanding rivalry with the Blues since Oct. 26, 1993. Bedard (2-4—6 in 5 GP) has six factors via his first 5 video games of a season for the second time (additionally 1-6—7 in 2024-25) and is considered one of two Blackhawks gamers age 20 or youthful to perform the feat a number of instances, alongside Denis Savard (1981-82 & 1980-81).
* Bedard posted his tenth profession three-point sport and handed Jonathan Toews (9) for the fifth most by a Blackhawks skater earlier than age 21. He additionally recorded his third profession three-assist sport – solely three different gamers have as many with Chicago earlier than age 21: Savard (9), Eddie Olczyk (4) and Stan Mikita (3).
MORE FROM A FOUR-GAME WEDNESDAY* Three completely different gamers scored as Utah improved to 7-0-0 towards Calgary; the Flames are considered one of 4 franchises the Mammoth are good towards (additionally: 6-0-0 vs. VAN, 4-0-0 vs. PHI & 4-0-0 vs. BUF). The Mammoth grew to become the sixth franchise to win every of their first two dwelling openers, alongside the Kings (3-0-0), Hurricanes/Whalers (2-0-0), Coyotes/Jets (2-0-0), Flyers (2-0-0) and Rangers (2-0-0).
* Patrick Kane scored considered one of 4 Detroit targets because the Purple Wings defeated the reigning Stanley Cup champions on dwelling ice; their 14 complete targets are tied with the Panthers for the fourth most amongst all Jap Convention groups this season behind the Maple Leafs (17), Hurricanes (15) and Canadiens (15). Kane netted his 82nd profession game-winning objective and moved inside considered one of Zach Parise (83) for the fourth most by an American participant in NHL historical past.
* Jake Neighbours scored to file his a hundredth profession level (60-40—100) and have become the third Blues skater previously decade to succeed in the 100-point milestone earlier than age 24, following Robert Thomas (60-169—229) and Jordan Kyrou (46-76—122).
QUICK CLICKS
* NHL goals to broaden efforts to develop sport outdoors of North America
* Lions huge receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown attends first Purple Wings sport
* Mammoth mascot Tusky emerges from block of ice earlier than dwelling opener
* Nick Foligno taking depart of absence from Blackhawks for daughter’s coronary heart surgical procedure
* #NHLStats: Stay Updates for October 15
SCHAEFER TO FACE McDAVID FOR THE FIRST TIME
A pair of first-overall picks, chosen a decade other than the Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League, will meet for the primary time when Connor McDavid and the Oilers go to Matthew Schaefer and the Islanders in a sport broadcast nationally on ESPN+ in the USA and SN360 in Canada. Schaefer (1-2—3 in 3 GP) and McDavid (0-4—4 in 3 GP) have each discovered the rating sheet in each sport this season.
* Schaefer shall be examined by a ahead chosen with the first-overall choose for the third time in 4 NHL video games – he confronted Sidney Crosby in his NHL debut (Oct. 9) after which Alex Ovechkin two days later (Oct. 11). Tonight, he’s set to face two forwards who have been drafted first general in McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.
* McDavid opened the season with a multi-assist effort and desires two extra such outings to develop into the twenty third participant in NHL historical past to succeed in 200 multi-assist video games – the one lively participant on that checklist is Crosby (255). It may very well be one other milestone yr for McDavid, who’s in attain of 400 targets (39 away), 800 assists (75 away) and 1,100 factors (14 away) in 2025-26. McDavid (715 GP) is monitoring among the many quickest gamers in NHL historical past to succeed in 1,100 factors – solely Wayne Gretzky (464 GP), Mario Lemieux (550 GP) and Mike Bossy (725 GP) did so in fewer than 750 video games performed.
* Schaefer and McDavid have been each drafted out of the OHL’s Erie Otters, a program that has produced a number of present NHLers together with Ryan O’Reilly (NSH), Alex DeBrincat (DET), Dylan Strome (WSH) and Connor Brown (NJD). As advised to NHL.com previous to the 2025 NHL Draft, Schaefer was within the constructing when the Otters retired McDavid’s No. 97 on Jan. 10 and McDavid gave Schaefer some recommendation on the collarbone harm he was going via on the time. Schaefer was requested to talk on the ceremony and has laughed whereas telling the story that he ran out of issues to say and simply mentioned “I’m happy with you.” The 2 crossed paths once more on the 2025 Stanley Cup Ultimate when the highest prospects visited for Sport 3.
