The 2026 NHL season is only one week old, but the early picture is already taking shape for a few teams. Some clubs have sprinted out of the gate. Others are still trying to find their game.
One of the loudest early statements has come from Pittsburgh. The roster may look old on paper, with Kris Letang, Sidney Crosby, Erik Karlsson, and Evgeni Malkin all in their late 30s, but that hasn’t stopped the Penguins from rolling through Week 1 with authority. They opened by hammering the Philadelphia Flyers 7-0, then followed that up with an overtime win over a strong Montreal Canadiens team.
There are still real questions hanging over this group, starting with health. Anthony Mantha, who scored more than 30 goals for them, is gone, and that production has to be replaced.
Even so, the Penguins should still have plenty of offense. Nick Robertson lining up on the top line with Sidney Crosby and Rickard Rakell should give his scoring a meaningful lift.
Goaltending is another storyline worth watching. Arturs Silovs is the starter, and he’ll be asked to carry most of the workload while Sergei Murashov settles into the NHL. Murashov put together a strong stretch in the AHL, posting a .931 SV% in the AHL playoffs and a .919 SV% in the regular season.
Philadelphia, on the other hand, has had a rough opening stretch. Rick Tocchet’s teams usually start fast in their first year before the identity fades, and this is not being labeled as that same situation - but the Flyers have not looked sharp.
They were blasted 7-0 at home by Pittsburgh, then lost in overtime to Carolina. Their big names need to show more, and the goaltending situation is already under the microscope.
Dan Vladar’s numbers were solid last season, but the extension carries risk. He has never played more than 50 games in a season outside of last year, and his career .898 SV% is part of the concern now that he has been paid.
Utah has also come out looking dangerous. Before their loss to the New York Rangers - a team that also appears to be in good shape - the Mammoth had outscored opponents 10-1.
That kind of start turns heads, and for good reason. They have scoring punch, speed, and a capable goalie in Karel Vejmelka.
This is a team built around pace and skill. They are not going to overwhelm opponents physically, but they will create chances, generate odd-man rushes, and make life difficult in transition. Young, talented, and sprinkled with veterans, Utah looks like a group that could be a problem in its division.
Dallas is on the other side of the ledger, though there’s no reason to sound the alarm yet. The Stars are off to a rare 0-2 start, and the offense has been uncharacteristically quiet. Scoring just one goal in six games is not what people expect from this team.
That’s especially true with the kind of talent Dallas has up front. Mikko Rantanen, Wyatt Johnston, and Jason Robertson have not found their rhythm together yet, and that has shown up in the results.
The last time the Stars opened 0-2 was in 2019, so this is unfamiliar territory early in the year. The real question now is how they respond to the first bit of adversity and whether the offense wakes up soon.
In Other News...
Penguins Showing Fight But One Frustrating Problem Still Remains
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins had chances to build on a spirited effort at Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza, but they came up short in a 3-2 loss to the Hartford Wolf Pack. Jake Livanavage and Avery Hayes provided the offense for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, while Hartford answered with goals from Marc Del Gaizo, Taylor Raddysh and Nathan Aspinall, with all three of Hartfords scores coming on the power play.
For a team that has shown fight, the frustrating part is starting to come into focus. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton has been putting pucks on net in bunches, only to leave without the finish to match, and that leaves the Penguins looking for a cleaner result when they see Hartford again on October 10. Their next home date is not until October 23 against the Belleville Senators, so there is plenty of time before the building gets another chance to see whether the effort finally turns into points. [Read more 🡒]
Malkins Ovechkin Reaction Will Hit Penguins Fans A Little Harder
Evgeni Malkins day-before-game media session on Monday carried a little extra weight after Alex Ovechkins retirement announcement rippled through the hockey world. For Penguins fans, the connection is obvious: Malkin and Ovechkin have spent nearly two decades tied together as rivals, familiar faces and two of the NHLs most prolific scorers, their careers unfolding in parallel whether they were meeting on the ice or crossing paths away from it.
So when Malkin was asked about Ovechkins news, the moment landed as more than a routine reaction from one future Hall of Famer to another. It also nudged attention toward Malkins own path, because his playing future is still an open question and the end of Ovechkins run adds another layer to the countdown around one of the Penguins defining stars. [Read more 🡒]
Crosbys Ovechkin Reflection Hits Penguins Fans Right In The Rivalry
Sidney Crosby has spent nearly two decades measuring himself against Alex Ovechkin, and the latest reminder of that era landed with a mix of respect and nostalgia. Ovechkin just signed a one-year deal to return for his 22nd NHL season, and Crosby responded by reflecting on what their careers have meant to each other since both arrived in 2005-06, when the league immediately framed them as rivals and carried that storyline for years.
For Penguins fans, the larger picture is hard to miss: Crosby is still playing on an expiring contract, and he has made clear he wants to keep going beyond the current horizon. Ovechkins future now has a defined endpoint, while Crosbys does not, which only adds another layer to a rivalry that has long been about more than wins and losses. [Read more 🡒]