Byram's hat trick, Stenberg's four points and the final 50 preseason games: NHL digest, Sept. 21–27
The final 50 preseason games produced Bowen Byram's hat trick in his Chicago debut, Ivar Stenberg's four-point night and Adam Fantilli's $82.5 million extension, with the injury list before Tuesday's opener headed by Mathew Barzal and Brock Faber.
The NHL's 2026-27 preseason ended Saturday, Sept. 26, and the six days from Sept. 21 through Sept. 26 packed in 50 games — the last exhibition dates on the calendar, split-squad doubleheaders included. 12 The 84-game regular season opens Tuesday, Sept. 29. 3 Standings, the wild-card race and the league leaderboards all begin with that opener, so the week's value sits in the details: which line combinations coaches settled on, which young players won jobs, and which injuries will follow teams into opening night. ESPN's first power rankings, published Monday morning, put the defending champion Carolina Hurricanes first. 4
Every result from the final week of the preseason
Home teams won 36 of the 50 games, and 12 were decided in overtime or a shootout. 12 Edmonton closed the preseason 4-0-0 and Montreal 4-1-0, while New Jersey and Washington each finished 3-0-1. 2
| Date | Matchup and site | Result | What stood out |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon., Sept. 21 | Wild at Blackhawks, United Center, Chicago | Chicago 4-3 (OT) | Bowen Byram finished a hat trick 29 seconds into overtime in his Blackhawks debut 1 |
| Mon., Sept. 21 | Rangers at Devils, Prudential Center, Newark | New Jersey 3-2 | Jack Hughes jammed in the winner with 2:12 left; Brett Pesce returned from a knee injury 1 |
| Mon., Sept. 21 | Flyers at Capitals, GIANT Center, Hershey, Pa. | Washington 5-2 | Jonny Brodzinski scored twice; Ryan Chesley had three assists 1 |
| Mon., Sept. 21 | Sabres at Penguins, PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh 4-1 | Bryan Rust had a goal and two assists 1 |
| Mon., Sept. 21 | Red Wings at Blue Jackets, Nationwide Arena, Columbus | Columbus 1-0 (SO) | Jet Greaves stopped all 16 shots he faced over two periods 1 |
| Mon., Sept. 21 | Avalanche at Jets, Canada Life Centre, Winnipeg | Winnipeg 3-1 | Stuart Skinner made 31 saves in his Jets debut 1 |
| Mon., Sept. 21 | Blues at Stars, American Airlines Center, Dallas | Dallas 2-1 | Casey DeSmith made 30 saves 1 |
| Tue., Sept. 22 | Flyers at Bruins, TD Garden, Boston | Boston 5-1 | Michael Eyssimont scored twice; Philadelphia lost Dan Vladar to an upper-body injury 13:31 into the first 5 |
| Tue., Sept. 22 | Islanders at Rangers, Madison Square Garden, New York | NY Islanders 4-3 | Matias Maccelli scored two power-play goals and added an assist as the Islanders erased a 3-0 deficit 5 |
| Tue., Sept. 22 | Golden Knights at Sharks, SAP Center, San Jose | Vegas 2-1 (SO) | Ivar Stenberg had an assist and a shootout goal in his San Jose debut 5 |
| Tue., Sept. 22 | Panthers at Hurricanes, Lenovo Center, Raleigh | Carolina 3-2 (SO) | Brady Tkachuk had a goal and an assist before leaving as a precaution; Florida coach Paul Maurice called it "minor" 5 |
| Tue., Sept. 22 | Mammoth at Kings, Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles | Utah 6-3 | Anders Lee scored twice in his Utah debut; Daniil But had a goal and an assist 5 |
| Tue., Sept. 22 | Red Wings at Penguins, PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh | Detroit 7-4 | Michael Brandsegg-Nygard scored twice and Anton Johansson had four assists; Pittsburgh debuted the Ruck twins 5 |
| Tue., Sept. 22 | Blue Jackets at Sabres, KeyBank Center, Buffalo | Buffalo 5-1 | Noah Ostlund scored two goals 28 seconds apart 5 |
| Tue., Sept. 22 | Lightning at Predators, Bridgestone Arena, Nashville | Nashville 3-2 (OT) | Matthew Wood scored twice late in the third; Felix Nilsson won it 2:33 into overtime 5 |
| Tue., Sept. 22 | Oilers at Jets, Canada Life Centre, Winnipeg | Edmonton 2-1 (OT) | Viljami Marjala scored 1:26 into overtime on a two-on-one 5 |
| Tue., Sept. 22 | Canucks at Flames, Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary | Calgary 3-1 | Joel Farabee had a goal and an assist; Zayne Parekh added two assists 5 |
| Wed., Sept. 23 | Senators at Maple Leafs, Scotiabank Arena, Toronto | Toronto 6-1 | John Tavares and Auston Matthews each had a goal and two assists in the first of two split-squad games 6 |
| Wed., Sept. 23 | Maple Leafs at Senators, Canadian Tire Centre, Ottawa | Toronto 4-2 | Ryan Tverberg broke a tie with 4:17 left; Toronto swept the doubleheader 6 |
| Wed., Sept. 23 | Wild at Stars, American Airlines Center, Dallas | Dallas 2-0 | Remi Poirier made 24 saves for the shutout 6 |
| Wed., Sept. 23 | Kings at Ducks, Honda Center, Anaheim | Los Angeles 2-1 | Anton Forsberg made 24 saves; Joel Armia scored with 23 seconds left 6 |
| Thu., Sept. 24 | Sabres at Red Wings, Little Caesars Arena, Detroit | Detroit 3-2 (OT) | Alex DeBrincat won it 33 seconds into overtime; Buffalo lost Alex Lyon to a first-period injury 7 |
| Thu., Sept. 24 | Ducks at Sharks, SAP Center, San Jose | San Jose 10-0 | Ivar Stenberg had a hat trick and an assist; Michael Misa had a goal and three assists 7 |
| Thu., Sept. 24 | Blackhawks at Blues, Enterprise Center, St. Louis | St. Louis 1-0 | Calle Rosen scored in the third; Patrick Kane made his Blackhawks preseason debut 7 |
| Thu., Sept. 24 | Oilers at Canucks, Rogers Arena, Vancouver | Edmonton 2-1 | Tristan Jarry made 25 saves; Vancouver lost Filip Chytil after a collision with a referee 7 |
| Thu., Sept. 24 | Predators at Hurricanes, First Horizon Coliseum, Greensboro, N.C. | Carolina 6-5 | Logan Stankoven scored twice as Carolina erased a four-goal deficit; Felix Unger Sorum won it with three seconds left 7 |
| Thu., Sept. 24 | Panthers at Lightning, Benchmark International Arena, Tampa | Florida 5-3 | Cole Reinhardt scored his third goal of the preseason and set up another 7 |
| Thu., Sept. 24 | Bruins at Flyers, Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia | Philadelphia 2-0 | Joseph Woll made 28 saves; Matvei Michkov scored 7 |
| Thu., Sept. 24 | Penguins at Blue Jackets, Nationwide Arena, Columbus | Columbus 4-0 | Valeri Nichushkin scored in his Columbus debut; Cam Talbot had a 15-save shutout 7 |
| Thu., Sept. 24 | Devils at Rangers, Madison Square Garden, New York | NY Rangers 4-3 (SO) | Will Cuylle had a goal and an assist and scored the shootout decider 7 |
| Thu., Sept. 24 | Mammoth at Golden Knights, T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas | Vegas 5-4 (OT) | Tomas Hertl tied it with 28 seconds left and Jack Eichel won it 39 seconds into overtime 7 |
| Thu., Sept. 24 | Flames at Kraken, Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle | Seattle 4-3 (SO) | Philipp Grubauer made 32 saves; Brandon Montour and Ryker Evans scored early in the third 7 |
| Fri., Sept. 25 | Stars at Wild, Grand Casino Arena, St. Paul | Dallas 2-1 | Tyler Seguin played 13:57 in his first game since Dec. 2; Minnesota lost Brock Faber to a puck to the head 8 |
| Fri., Sept. 25 | Bruins at Capitals, Capital One Arena, Washington | Washington 3-2 (OT) | Jordan Kyrou scored 11 seconds into overtime for his first goal with Washington 8 |
| Fri., Sept. 25 | Jets at Avalanche, Ball Arena, Denver | Colorado 5-2 | T.J. Hughes had a hat trick and an assist; Cale Makar also scored 8 |
| Fri., Sept. 25 | Rangers at Islanders, UBS Arena, Elmont, N.Y. | NY Rangers 6-1 | Mika Zibanejad and J.T. Miller each had a goal and an assist; Adam Fox had three assists 8 |
| Sat., Sept. 26 | Islanders at Devils, Prudential Center, Newark | New Jersey 4-1 | Luke Evangelista scored twice; New Jersey closed the preseason 3-0-1 2 |
| Sat., Sept. 26 | Flames at Oilers, Rogers Place, Edmonton | Edmonton 4-1 | Connor McDavid and Kasperi Kapanen each had a goal and an assist; Edmonton closed 4-0-0 2 |
| Sat., Sept. 26 | Golden Knights at Sharks, SAP Center, San Jose | San Jose 4-2 | Macklin Celebrini and Mason Marchment each had a goal and an assist 2 |
| Sat., Sept. 26 | Kraken at Canucks, Rogers Arena, Vancouver | Vancouver 4-3 | Jake DeBrusk had a goal and two assists for Vancouver's first win of the preseason 2 |
| Sat., Sept. 26 | Red Wings at Blue Jackets, Nationwide Arena, Columbus | Columbus 4-2 | Jet Greaves made 31 saves; Charlie Coyle and Valeri Nichushkin each had a goal and an assist 2 |
| Sat., Sept. 26 | Canadiens at Senators, Canadian Tire Centre, Ottawa | Ottawa 4-3 | William Eklund broke a tie midway through the third; Claude Giroux had a goal and two assists 2 |
| Sat., Sept. 26 | Senators at Canadiens, Bell Centre, Montreal | Montreal 4-2 | Chris Kreider scored his first goal for Montreal; Juraj Slafkovsky had a goal and two assists 2 |
| Sat., Sept. 26 | Blues at Blackhawks, United Center, Chicago | Chicago 3-2 | Spencer Knight made 29 saves; Roman Kantserov and Anton Frondell scored 2 |
| Sat., Sept. 26 | Penguins at Sabres, KeyBank Center, Buffalo | Pittsburgh 3-1 | Sidney Crosby scored his first goal of the preseason 2 |
| Sat., Sept. 26 | Hurricanes at Predators, Bridgestone Arena, Nashville | Carolina 6-0 | Jackson Blake had a goal and two assists; Brandon Bussi made 22 saves 2 |
| Sat., Sept. 26 | Ducks at Kings, Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles | Los Angeles 6-2 | Alex Turcotte scored twice and added an assist; Mats Zuccarello had three points 2 |
| Sat., Sept. 26 | Capitals at Flyers, Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia | Washington 5-1 | Andrew Cristall had a goal and an assist; Washington closed 3-0-1 2 |
| Sat., Sept. 26 | Avalanche at Mammoth, Delta Center, Salt Lake City | Utah 2-0 | Karel Vejmelka made 25 saves; Logan Cooley scored on the power play 2 |
| Sat., Sept. 26 | Panthers at Lightning, Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise, Fla. | Tampa Bay 3-2 (SO) | Dennis Hildeby made 20 saves; Tampa Bay closed 2-1-1 2 |
The nights that stood out
Bowen Byram's first week in Chicago. The defenseman, acquired from Buffalo on June 23 and signed to a six-year, $75 million contract that starts next season, scored three times in a 4-3 overtime win over Minnesota on Sept. 21, then added two assists in a 3-2 win over St. Louis on Sept. 26. 12 His overtime goal came 29 seconds in, after he carried the puck around Wild forward Bobby Brink and beat Calvin Pickard from the left circle. "When you score three it's great, but he's been really good every day," Chicago coach Jeff Blashill said. 1
San Jose's 10-0 night. Ivar Stenberg, the No. 2 pick in the 2026 draft, scored a hat trick and added an assist as the Sharks beat Anaheim 10-0 on Sept. 24. Michael Misa finished with a goal and three assists and Igor Chernyshov had two goals and an assist. 7 Anaheim changed goalies midway through the second period after Ville Husso allowed six goals on 19 shots. 7
Semyon Varlamov's comeback game. The 38-year-old goalie replaced Ilya Sorokin midway through the second period on Sept. 22 and stopped all 10 shots he faced in his first NHL game since Nov. 29, 2024, roughly 22 months after he began rehabbing from double partial knee replacements. The Islanders came back from 3-0 down to beat the Rangers 4-3. "It was a preseason game, but it's exciting to win, even a preseason game," Varlamov said. 5
The Toronto split squad, twice over. Toronto beat Ottawa 6-1 at Scotiabank Arena and 4-2 at Canadian Tire Centre on Sept. 23, with John Tavares and Auston Matthews combining for six points in the first game. 6
Carolina's four-goal comeback. Trailing Nashville 5-1 in the second period on Sept. 24, the Hurricanes scored five unanswered goals, the last of them from Felix Unger Sorum with three seconds left in regulation. Logan Stankoven scored twice, including the 5-5 goal with 1:24 remaining. 7
Matias Maccelli's power-play night. Maccelli scored twice with the man advantage and set up a third goal as the Islanders erased a 3-0 deficit against the Rangers on Sept. 22. His first goal went in off a Rangers skate, and his second was a backhand off a Matthew Schaefer point shot. 5
T.J. Hughes turned a tryout into a job. The 24-year-old undrafted free agent from the University of Michigan, signed to a one-year contract on April 11, finished the preseason with five points in three games, then scored a hat trick and added an assist in Colorado's 5-2 win over Winnipeg on Sept. 25. Colorado plans to start him in Wednesday's opener and on the top power-play unit. "We're going to give him an opportunity here," Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. 89
Top performances at a glance
| Player | Team | Stat line | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bowen Byram | Chicago | 3 goals | A hat trick in his Blackhawks debut, completed in overtime 1 |
| Ivar Stenberg | San Jose | 3 goals, 1 assist | The No. 2 pick's hat trick came in a 10-0 rout; he also scored in a shootout in his debut 7 |
| T.J. Hughes | Colorado | 3 goals, 1 assist | Earned an opening-night roster spot and a place on the top power play 89 |
| Michael Misa | San Jose | 1 goal, 3 assists | Centered the line that produced four points in the 10-0 win 7 |
| Anton Johansson | Detroit | 4 assists | Four assists from the back end in a 7-4 win at Pittsburgh 5 |
| Matias Maccelli | NY Islanders | 2 goals, 1 assist | Both goals on the power play, in a comeback from 3-0 down 5 |
| Jack Eichel | Vegas | 1 goal, 2 assists | Tied it late as a teammate, then won it 39 seconds into overtime 7 |
| Adam Fox | NY Rangers | 3 assists | Set up three goals in a 6-1 win over the Islanders 8 |
| Alex Turcotte | Los Angeles | 2 goals, 1 assist | Led a six-goal night against Anaheim 2 |
| Anders Lee | Utah | 2 goals | Scored twice in his first game after signing a three-year, $16.2 million contract 5 |
| Luke Evangelista | New Jersey | 2 goals | Scored twice in the finale and finished the preseason on the top power play 2 |
Five goalies finished a game without allowing a goal: Dallas's Remi Poirier, Philadelphia's Joseph Woll, Utah's Karel Vejmelka, St. Louis's Jordan Binnington and Columbus's Cam Talbot. 267
| Goalie | Team | Saves | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scott Wedgewood | Colorado | 33 | Made 33 saves in a 2-0 loss to Utah in the finale 2 |
| Philipp Grubauer | Seattle | 32 | Beat Calgary 4-3 in a shootout 7 |
| Jeremy Swayman | Boston | 32 | Lost 3-2 in overtime at Washington 8 |
| Stuart Skinner | Winnipeg | 31 | His Jets debut, a 3-1 win over Colorado 1 |
| Jet Greaves | Columbus | 31 | Held off Detroit 4-2 after starting a 1-0 shootout win 12 |
| Casey DeSmith | Dallas | 30 | Started both of Dallas's 2-1 wins, over St. Louis and at Minnesota 18 |
| Spencer Knight | Chicago | 29 | Beat St. Louis 3-2 in the finale 2 |
| Joseph Woll | Philadelphia | 28 | A 28-save shutout of Boston 7 |
| Yaroslav Askarov | San Jose | 28 | Beat Vegas 4-2 in the finale 2 |
New faces and breakout cases
Ivar Stenberg answered the biggest question about San Jose's draft class. The No. 2 pick had an assist and a shootout goal in his debut on Sept. 22, then a hat trick and an assist in the 10-0 win two nights later. 57 ESPN's rookie watch list, published Sept. 17, called Stenberg the most NHL-ready of the top 2026 prospects because of his professional experience in Sweden, and projected him as a top-six forward for a Sharks team with wild-card ambitions. 10
The Ruck twins debuted on the same line for Pittsburgh on Sept. 22. Liam, taken 22nd overall in 2026, had two assists in 12:58 on the right wing; Markus, a second-round pick at No. 39, had an assist in 10:03 at center. 5
Noah Ostlund scored two goals 28 seconds apart for Buffalo on Sept. 22, and Roman Kantserov scored in Chicago's finale. Both names sit on NHL.com's opening-week waiver list for deep leagues. 2511
Two veterans scored their first goals for new teams in the same week: Valeri Nichushkin for Columbus and Chris Kreider for Montreal. Nichushkin, acquired from Colorado on June 25, scored in his Blue Jackets debut on Sept. 24 and added a goal and an assist two nights later. Kreider, who signed a one-year contract with Montreal on Sept. 12 after Anaheim terminated his deal, scored in the Canadiens' 4-2 win over Ottawa on Sept. 26. 27
The week's biggest roster decision came off the ice. Adam Fantilli signed a six-year, $82.5 million contract with Columbus on Sept. 24, ending a restricted free agency that had kept him out of the first week of camp. The deal averages $13.75 million a year, making the 21-year-old center the highest-paid player in franchise history. He is expected to center the top line between Kirill Marchenko and Nichushkin. "I'm going into this season a lot more confident in my ability and our team," Fantilli said. 12
For comparison, the two centers drafted ahead of Fantilli in 2023 are on five-year deals: Chicago's Connor Bedard at $15 million a year and Anaheim's Leo Carlsson at $18 million after the Ducks matched an offer sheet from Philadelphia. 12
Injuries and availability before opening night
Mathew Barzal will travel with the Islanders and has the club's blessing to test himself for Wednesday's opener at Toronto. The forward missed training camp after aggravating a prior injury that caused inflammation, and general manager Mathieu Darche said on Sept. 17 that Barzal would be shut down for roughly two weeks. Barzal will not skate until Wednesday morning. 9
| Player | Team | What happened | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dan Vladar | Philadelphia | Upper-body injury 13:31 into his preseason debut on Sept. 22 | Timeline not announced 5 |
| Alex Lyon | Buffalo | Left in the first period Sept. 24 after diving for a puck and flexing his left arm | "Going to miss a few days, for sure," coach Lindy Ruff said 79 |
| Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen | Buffalo | Left early in the third period of the Sept. 26 finale with a lower-body issue | Pulled as a precaution 9 |
| Jiri Kulich | Buffalo | Left Sept. 24 midway through the second period as a precaution | Skated Sept. 26 but did not play; day to day 79 |
| Filip Chytil | Vancouver | Clipped skates with a referee and hit the end boards Sept. 24 | Shoulder being examined; imaging the next day 7 |
| Brock Faber | Minnesota | Hit in the head by a point shot Sept. 25, returned for a shift and finished the period | Being evaluated; update expected Tuesday 89 |
| Bryan Rust | Pittsburgh | Upper-body injury during a 3-1 win over Buffalo on Sept. 26 | Being evaluated 9 |
| Ryan Graves | Pittsburgh | Issues in both knees | Out indefinitely 9 |
| Justin Brazeau, Ben Kindel | Pittsburgh | Lower-body injuries | Each week to week 9 |
| Adam Sykora | NY Rangers | Taken into the corner by a hit Sept. 21 and helped off the ice | Lower-body injury; did not return 1 |
Pittsburgh's run of injuries arrived in the last four days of the preseason, with Rust, Graves, Brazeau and Kindel all hurt in the same week the club closed its exhibition schedule. Graves is the longest-term absence of the group. 9
Roster moves and the opening-night schedule
New York and Toronto each added a depth defenseman on the final Sunday of the preseason. Logan Stanley signed a one-year contract with the Islanders after 26 points in 76 games for Buffalo and Winnipeg last season, and Nick Blankenburg signed a one-year deal with the Maple Leafs after 24 points in 61 games for Nashville and Colorado. The Islanders also assigned Kashawn Aitcheson, Isaiah George and Cole Eiserman to AHL Hamilton and placed goalie Vitek Vanecek on waivers. 9
Opening night is Tuesday, Sept. 29, and it runs five games, three of them on ESPN. 3
- Florida at Carolina (5 p.m. ET, ESPN). Carolina raises its championship banner, and Brady Tkachuk plays his first game for Florida after the June 21 trade from Ottawa. 3
- Montreal at Toronto (7 p.m. ET, TVAS, SN). Gavin McKenna, the No. 1 pick in the 2026 draft, could make his NHL debut for the Maple Leafs. 3
- NY Rangers at Boston (8 p.m. ET, ESPN). Boston's final tune-up was a 3-2 overtime loss at Washington on Sept. 25. 8
- Vancouver at Edmonton (10 p.m. ET, SN). Edmonton closed the preseason 4-0-0 with McDavid and Kapanen each producing a goal and an assist in the finale. 2
- Chicago at Vegas (10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN). Vegas finished 3-1-0, and Eichel closed the preseason with a three-point night. 2
Wednesday brings the Islanders to Toronto (7:30 p.m. ET), Pittsburgh to Philadelphia (7:30, TNT) and Los Angeles to Colorado (10 p.m., TNT). 29 Thursday's slate includes Buffalo at Columbus, Tampa Bay at the Rangers, Minnesota at Nashville, Chicago at Utah, Seattle at Calgary, Florida at San Jose and Philadelphia at New Jersey. 2 Dallas opens at home against St. Louis on Friday, and Washington visits Carolina that night. 28
For fantasy managers still filling out lineups, NHL.com published its first waiver list of the season Monday morning. The names tie directly to what happened this week: Luke Evangelista (39 percent rostered) is on New Jersey's second line with Nico Hischier and Timo Meier and took power-play time in the preseason; Mason Marchment (30 percent) skates on San Jose's top line with Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith; Roman Kantserov (17 percent) is on Chicago's top line with Frank Nazar and Patrick Kane while Connor Bedard is injured; Mats Zuccarello (19 percent) had three points in the finale; and Luca Cagnoni (7 percent) ran San Jose's first power-play unit in exhibition play. 211 Jake Allen (29 percent) enters the season as New Jersey's No. 1 goalie after Jacob Markstrom was traded to Florida. 11
References
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