Week 4 of the 2026 NHL season is in the books, and the early picture is starting to sharpen. The Dallas Stars and Boston Bruins are riding strong starts, powered by high-end production from their biggest names. Mikko Rantanen is pacing his team in goals, assists, and points, while David Pastrnak has Boston rolling with scoring at a high level and goaltending that has backed it up.
Dallas has separated itself with a five-game winning streak, and the numbers only tell part of the story. The Stars have looked fast, skilled, and hard to solve, with their entire lineup contributing to a stretch that has them winning consistently and defending well. They have also made life miserable for opposing offenses, which has been a big part of the surge.
Boston, meanwhile, is sitting atop the Atlantic Division with 19 points through its first 12 games. Pastrnak’s finish has been a major driver, and the crease has been just as steady. Jeremy Swayman and Michael DiPietro have combined for a 2.17 GAA, giving the Bruins strong play at both ends of the ice.
Not every team is moving in the right direction. The Chicago Blackhawks still need more from their younger players.
Right now, the roster has a mix of veterans and youth, but the fit is not there yet, and it stands out that Patrick Kane is still the team’s leading scorer. If Chicago is going to get where it wants to go, the younger group has to start carrying more of the load.
Buffalo’s issue is different, but just as troubling. The Sabres have not found a way to win on the road, and that has already shown up in a 1-4 mark in their first five games away from home.
Good teams take care of business at home; the truly strong ones also figure out how to win in someone else’s building. For Buffalo, that part of the job still needs work.
In Other News...
Stars Poured It On In A Win Dallas Fans Will Relish
The Stars turned a loose, up-and-down night into one their fans could enjoy, beating the Islanders 6-3 behind a burst of offense from the top half of the lineup and a feel-good contribution from a couple of lesser-known names. Jason Robertson led the way with two goals, while Tyler Seguin and Wyatt Johnston each chipped in with a goal and an assist as Dallas kept finding answers whenever New York tried to make it interesting.
There was also a family subplot on the scoresheet, with Justin Hryckowian scoring his first goal of the season while his brother Dylan made his NHL debut for Dallas. It was the kind of game that gave the building a little bit of everything, from star power to a milestone moment, and it came with the kind of backdrop that made the night feel even more familiar to longtime Stars followers. [Read more 🡒]
Stars Exposed A Late-Game Problem The Islanders Couldnt Survive
The Islanders hung with Dallas through two periods in a game that kept swinging back and forth, but the third period brought the kind of breakdown that cant happen against a team with the Stars finish. After trading chances and staying level at 3-3, New York watched Dallas pull away with three unanswered goals, turning a competitive night into a frustrating 6-3 loss that left the Islanders staring at the details they could not quite clean up.
Pete DeBoer and his players pointed back to the same problem afterward: the mistakes that piled up once the game tightened. Against strong opponents, the margin is slim enough already, and the Islanders know they have to be better about limiting breakdowns when the pace picks up. What stood out most from this one was how exposed they looked in transition, a reminder that one messy stretch can undo everything that came before it. [Read more 🡒]