There are plenty of surprises in the early going, both good and bad. For both teams and players.
While Carolina and Colorado have yet to lose in regulation time, Pittsburgh has jumped out of the gate with a 4-2-0 record. Seattle is 3-0-2 and Detroit is 4-1-0.
Tampa Bay is off to a bad start, going 1-3-2 and Calgary is 1-5-0. San Jose is the only team yet to win, at 0-3-2, and they are still ahead of the Flames.
Jack Eichel leads the NHL with 15 points while teammate Mark Stone has 13. William Nylander has 11 points with Colorado's duo of Nathan MacKinnon and Martin Necas the only other players in double digits with 10 apiece.
Sean Monahan, Nikolaj Ehlers, Andrei Svechnikov, Evan Bouchard, Mikhail Sergachev, Jackson LaCombe and Zayne Parekh all have yet to pick up a point.
All stats are through Saturday night unless otherwise noted.
Visit RotoWire's NHL Daily Starting Lineups to find out starters for every game on the schedule!
WEEK OF OCTOBER 20-26
4 Games – Buffalo, Calgary, Colorado, Dallas, Edmonton, Los Angeles, Minnesota, Montreal, Nashville, New Jersey, San Jose, Seattle, Utah, Vancouver, Winnipeg
3 Games – Anaheim, Boston, Carolina, Columbus, Detroit, Florida, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Ottawa, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Tampa Bay, Toronto, Vegas, Washington
2 Games - Chicago
Nashville plays all four games at home.
Los Angeles and San Jose play four games on the road.
Anaheim, Carolina, Colorado, Edmonton, Montreal, Seattle and
There are plenty of surprises in the early going, both good and bad. For both teams and players.
While Carolina and Colorado have yet to lose in regulation time, Pittsburgh has jumped out of the gate with a 4-2-0 record. Seattle is 3-0-2 and Detroit is 4-1-0.
Tampa Bay is off to a bad start, going 1-3-2 and Calgary is 1-5-0. San Jose is the only team yet to win, at 0-3-2, and they are still ahead of the Flames.
Jack Eichel leads the NHL with 15 points while teammate Mark Stone has 13. William Nylander has 11 points with Colorado's duo of Nathan MacKinnon and Martin Necas the only other players in double digits with 10 apiece.
Sean Monahan, Nikolaj Ehlers, Andrei Svechnikov, Evan Bouchard, Mikhail Sergachev, Jackson LaCombe and Zayne Parekh all have yet to pick up a point.
All stats are through Saturday night unless otherwise noted.
Visit RotoWire's NHL Daily Starting Lineups to find out starters for every game on the schedule!
WEEK OF OCTOBER 20-26
4 Games – Buffalo, Calgary, Colorado, Dallas, Edmonton, Los Angeles, Minnesota, Montreal, Nashville, New Jersey, San Jose, Seattle, Utah, Vancouver, Winnipeg
3 Games – Anaheim, Boston, Carolina, Columbus, Detroit, Florida, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Ottawa, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Tampa Bay, Toronto, Vegas, Washington
2 Games - Chicago
Nashville plays all four games at home.
Los Angeles and San Jose play four games on the road.
Anaheim, Carolina, Colorado, Edmonton, Montreal, Seattle and Utah play three games on the road.
Boston, Calgary, Dallas, New Jersey, the New York Rangers, Tampa Bay and Winnipeg play three games at home.
ANAHEIM
Games this week
@ Nashville, @ Boston, @ Tampa Bay
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
The Ducks play all three games on the road... Beckett Sennecke is off to a great start with two goals, two assists and 10 shots on goal in four contests... Leo Carlsson has two goals and four assists in his last three games including three assists on the power play... Chris Kreider is turning back the clock as a 34-year-old. The former Ranger has four goals in four games including three with the man advantage.
BOSTON
Games this week
vs. Florida, vs. Anaheim, vs. Colorado
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
The Bruins got off to a great start this season, winning their first three games but they have since come back to earth, losing three in a row... Jeremy Swayman has come back nicely thus far, from a terrible 2024-25 campaign in which he was 22-29-7 with career-worst GAA and save percentage. While he is 2-2-0 this season, he has given up only 11 goals on 124 shots (.911 save percentage)... No Boston player has more than two goals this season.
BUFFALO
Games this week
@ Montreal, vs. Detroit, vs. Toronto, @ Toronto
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
The Sabres play four games this week, including three games in four nights... Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (lower body) could be back this week, so look for him to share the net with Alex Lyon... The Sabres and Maple Leafs play a home-and-home series... Should there be any rough stuff, expect to see Zach Benson or Mason Geertsen to be involved... Benson has been on fire with five assists in his first two games.
CALGARY
Games this week
vs. Winnipeg, vs. Montreal, @ Winnipeg, vs. New York Rangers
Tired: None
Rested: @ Winnipeg (Friday)
Notes
The Flames play a pair of games versus Winnipeg this week... If tempers flare, look for Ryan Lomberg to be involved... Jonathan Huberdeau returned to action Saturday after missing the first five games of the season and potted his first of the season... Dustin Wolf is off to a rough start this season, allowing 20 goals on 137 shots (.854 save percentage) while posting a 4.30 GAA... Calgary has scored only 10 goals in six games, led by Matthew Coronato and Blake Coleman with two apiece.
CAROLINA
Games this week
@ Vegas, @ Colorado, @ Dallas
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
The Hurricanes complete their six-game road trip in Dallas on Saturday... Nikolaj Ehlers is without a point in his first five games, though he does have 18 shots on goal. It may be the perfect time to trade for him from some disgruntled manager in your fantasy league... Seth Jarvis scored the overtime winner Saturday to give him six goals in five games... Shayne Gostisbehere has seven points, one behind Jarvis... Jordan Staal scored a pair of goals Saturday to give him three this season.
CHICAGO
Games this week
@ Tampa Bay, vs. Los Angeles
Tired: None
Rested: vs. Los Angeles (Sunday)
Notes
Chicago is the only team in the NHL to play only twice this week... Ilya Mikheyev tops all Chicago scorers with three goals while Frank Nazar, Connor Bedard and Teuvo Teravainen all have six points... Nick Foligno is away from the team for personal reasons and may not be back this week... Spencer Knight has been strong in the cage, going 1-2-1 with a sparkling 2.21 GAA and a .924 save percentage. Knight will keep Chicago in plenty of games this season that they weren't able to be in before he was acquired in the Seth Jones trade.
COLORADO
Games this week
@ Utah, vs. Carolina, @ Boston, @ New Jersey
Tired: @ New Jersey (Sunday)
Rested: None
Notes
The Avalanche play four times this week, including three games in four nights... Colorado hopes to have Mackenzie Blackwood (lower body) back in the lineup as he is on a rehab assignment, and if so, he will likely share the crease with Scott Wedgewood who has been spectacular this season... Wedgewood is 5-0-1 with a 1.48 GAA and a .938 save percentage... Nathan MacKinnon has six goals and 10 points after scoring twice versus Boston on Saturday.
COLUMBUS
Games this week
@ Dallas, vs. Washington, @ Pittsburgh
Tired: @ Pittsburgh (Saturday)
Rested: None
Notes
The Blue Jackets are led by Kirill Marchenko offensively with five of the team's 14 goals... They are getting no production from Sean Monahan who is seeing first-line minutes with Marchenko and Dmitri Voronkov, but has yet to garner a point... Kent Johnson scored his first of the season Saturday... Jet Greaves is off to a very nice start with a 1-2-0 record to go with a 2.03 GAA and an .928 save percentage... He will be their No. 1 goaltender this season, ahead of Elvis Merzlikins.
DALLAS
Games this week
vs. Colorado, vs. Los Angeles, vs. Carolina, @ Nashville
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
The Stars play three games in four nights as part of their four-game week... Jake Oettinger should get three starts with Casey DeSmith playing once... Miro Heiskanen has only two assists in his first five games... He has been replaced offensively by Thomas Harley who has six points... Nils Lundkvist will miss some time with a lower-body injury. Look for Ilya Lyubushkin to take over his spot on the blue line.
DETROIT
Games this week
@ Buffalo, @ New York Islanders, vs. St. Louis
Tired: @ New York Islanders (Thursday)
Rested: None
Notes
The Red Wings play three games in four nights... Look for John Gibson to play twice with Cam Talbot guarding the crease once... Lucas Raymond has missed the last two games heading into action Sunday with an upper-body injury... Dylan Larkin has three goals and four assists in five games... Alex DeBrincat has yet to score, but does have six helpers.
EDMONTON
Games this week
@ Ottawa, vs. Montreal, @ Seattle, @ Vancouver
Tired: None
Rested: vs. Montreal (Thursday)
Notes
The Oilers play four games this week, including three games in four nights... Look for Stuart Skinner to play at least twice and likely three times with Calvin Pickard picking up the remainder of the starts... Edmonton returns home to play Montreal on Thursday after completing a five-game road trip. They then head back onto the road to play a pair of weekend games... Jack Roslovic made his Edmonton debut Tuesday and is currently on the second line, alongside Matthew Savoie and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and played Saturday with Connor McDavid, picking up an assist... Connor McDavid has yet to score in five games, but does have seven assists.
FLORIDA
Games this week
@ Boston, vs. Pittsburgh, vs. Vegas
Tired: @ New Jersey (Thursday)
Rested: None
Notes
The Panthers finish a five-game road swing in Boston... They are off to a slow start, going 3-4-0 in the early going... It should be no surprise as they are missing Aleksander Barkov (knee surgery and out seven months) as well as Matthew Tkachuk, who is out a minimum of two more months after groin surgery... Brad Marchand leads the team with six points, one better than Anton Lundell.
LOS ANGELES
Games this week
@ St. Louis, @ Dallas, @ Nashville, @ Chicago
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
The Kings play all four games on the road, including three games in four nights... Darcy Kuemper is out with a lower-body injury but he could return this week... If so, he should play at least twice and possibly three times with Anton Forsberg picking up the remainder of the starts... Should Kuemper be unable to go, Pheonix Copley would get one start... Anze Kopitar is week-to-week with a foot injury... Alex Laferriere gets the first crack as the top center between Andrei Kuzmenko and Adrian Kempe.
MINNESOTA
Games this week
@ New York Rangers, @ New Jersey, vs. Utah, vs. San Jose
Tired: vs. San Jose (Sunday)
Rested: @ New Jersey (Wednesday)
Notes
The Wild are led offensively by Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy with four goals and nine points each... They are centered by Joel Eriksson Ek who has one goal and three assists... The Wild have been pleasantly surprised by the play of Vladimir Tarasenko. The offseason signing has one goal and four helpers in six games... Filip Gustavsson is off to a slow start, posting a 1-3-0 record with one shutout, a 3.56 GAA and an .888 save percentage.
MONTREAL
Games this week
vs. Buffalo, @ Calgary, @ Edmonton, @ Vancouver
Tired: @ Edmonton (Thursday)
Rested: None
Notes
The Canadiens play three games in four nights as part of their four-game week... Sam Montembeault will get at least a pair of starts and probably three while Jakub Dobes plays the remaining games... Kaiden Guhle is out four-six weeks with a lower-body injury... Patrik Laine has only one assist in five games and missed Saturday's tilt with a lower-body injury... Cole Caufield is off to a hot start with five goals and eight points in six contests.
NASHVILLE
Games this week
vs. Anaheim, vs. Vancouver, vs. Los Angeles, vs. Dallas
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
The Predators play four games at home this week, including three games in four nights... Juuse Saros should get three starts with Justus Annunen playing once... The Predators are having problems putting the puck in the net with only 15 goals in six games... Roman Josi, Jonathan Marchessault and Erik Haula lead the team with four points apiece... Steven Stamkos continues to disappoint with only a goal and an assist in six appearances... Filip Forsberg is also off to a slow start with a goal and two helpers.
NEW JERSEY
Games this week
@ Toronto, vs. Minnesota, vs. San Jose, vs. Colorado
Tired: @ Minnesota (Wednesday)
Rested: vs. San Jose (Friday), vs. Colorado (Sunday)
Notes
The Devils play four games this week, including three games in four nights... Jacob Markstrom will miss this week's action with a lower-body injury, leaving the crease in the hands of Jake Allen and Nico Daws... Jack Hughes had a pair of goals and an assist Saturday in a 5-3 win over Edmonton. He has six points, one less than team leader Jesper Bratt... Stefan Noesen has missed the first five games of the season with a groin issue but he is getting close to a return.
NEW YORK ISLANDERS
Games this week
vs. Seattle, vs. Detroit, @ Philadelphia
Tired: None
Rested: vs. Detroit (Thursday)
Notes
Rookie Matthew Schaefer has points in each of his first five NHL games. The 18-year-old will soon quarterback the first power play according to head coach Patrick Roy, taking pp time away from Tony DeAngelo... Bo Horvat leads the Islanders with four goals and six points, one ahead of Schaefer... Ilya Sorokin is off to a slow start. The outstanding netminder is 1-3-0 with a 4.13 GAA and an .861 save percentage.
NEW YORK RANGERS
Games this week
vs. Minnesota, vs. San Jose, @ Calgary
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
The Rangers have yet to score at home, having been shut out in their opening three games at MSG... They are having no problem scoring on the road with 15 goals in four contests... Artemi Panarin, who is eligible to file for free agency at the end of the season, is tied along with Adam Fox for the lead in scoring with the Rangers this season with six points... Vincent Trocheck (upper body) was placed on long-term injured reserve... Igor Shesterkin has been great this season. He is 2-2-1 with a 1.00 GAA and a .962 save percentage.
OTTAWA
Games this week
vs. Edmonton, vs. Philadelphia, @ Washington
Tired: None
Rested: @ Washington (Saturday)
Notes
Ottawa was dealt a huge blow this past week when Brady Tkachuk suffered a thumb injury that required surgery. He will miss six-eight weeks... The Senators have been horrible on the penalty kill, allowing nine goals on 20 chances heading into action Saturday, but were perfect in three chances against the Islanders on Saturday... Shane Pinto leads the NHL with seven goals.
PHILADELPHIA
Games this week
vs. Seattle, @ Ottawa, vs. New York Islanders
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
Veteran Sean Couturier leads the Flyers with five points... Owen Tippett has three goals to lead the way... Matvei Michkov is off to a slow start with only one goal in five games this season... Dan Vladar has been outstanding this season with a 2-1-0 record, allowing only five goals on 76 shots, carving out a 1.65 GAA, while Samuel Ersson, the presumptive No. 1 goaltender is 0-1-1 with a weak .849 save percentage and a 3.88 GAA.
PITTSBURGH
Games this week
vs. Vancouver, @ Florida, vs. Columbus
Tired: None
Rested: vs. Columbus (Saturday)
Notes
The Penguins are surprisingly good to start the 2025-26 campaign. They are 4-2-0, getting good goaltending from both Tristan Jarry (who shut out the Sharks 3-0 Saturday) and newcomer Arturs Silovs... Evgeni Malkin has announced he is playing in his last NHL season and is going out with a bang as he has two goals and nine points, good for a tie for sixth in NHL scoring... Justin Brazeau is also off to a good start with four goals and an assist in six games. Sidney Crosby continues to lead the team. The 38-year-old has seven points in six appearances.
SAN JOSE
Games this week
@ New York Islanders, @ New York Rangers, @ New Jersey, @ Minnesota
Tired: @ New Jersey (Friday)
Rested: @ Minnesota (Sunday)
Notes
The Sharks are on the road for all four games this week, including three games in four nights... Alex Nedeljkovic and Yaroslav Askarov are expected to share the net... Askarov has been very shaky in his first two starts of the season, allowing 13 goals on only 78 shots... The Sharks have yet to win a game... Macklin Celebrini leads the Sharks with five points... Will Smith has four helpers but has yet to score.
SEATTLE
Games this week
@ Philadelphia, @ Washington, @ Winnipeg, vs. Edmonton
Tired: @ Washington (Tuesday)
Rested: None
Notes
The Kraken finish a six-game road trip in Winnipeg... They play four games this week, including three games in four nights... Look for Joey Daccord to play at least twice and possibly three times with Philip Grubauer playing the remainder... Brandon Montour did not play against Toronto on Saturday as he is on personal leave to tend to a family matter... Frederick Gaudreau is out four-six weeks with an upper-body injury... Vince Dunn leads the Kraken with five points in five games.
ST. LOUIS
Games this week
vs. Los Angeles, vs. Utah, @ Detroit
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
The Blues have been blown out in two games. Losing 5-0 to Minnesota on Opening Night, and 8-3 to Chicago on Wednesday but have won their other three games... Logan Mailloux was a healthy scratch Saturday, after a minus-4 effort against Chicago... Jordan Kyrou scored his first of the season Saturday in a 3-1 win over Dallas... Jake Neighbours leads the Blues with four goals and five points.
TAMPA BAY
Games this week
vs. Chicago, vs. Anaheim, vs. Vegas
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
The Lightning play three games in four nights... Andrei Vasilevskiy should get a pair of starts with Jonas Johansson playing once... The Lightning are off to a bad start as they are 1-3-2 and at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings... Good thing it is only the second week of the season... Nikita Kucherov should be okay to play this week after missing the last two games with an illness... Anthony Cirelli leads the Lightning with three goals.
TORONTO
Games this week
vs. New Jersey, @ Buffalo, vs. Buffalo
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
The Maple Leafs play a home-and-home series with Buffalo... Look for Dakota Joshua to add to his PIM count if there is any rough stuff... Auston Matthews has four goals and two assists in six games with two of his goals going into the empty net... William Nylander is off to another great start with 11 points in his first six games... Matthew Knies is living up to his big contract extension with two goals and eight points in six appearances.
UTAH
Games this week
vs. Colorado, @ St. Louis, @ Minnesota, @ Winnipeg
Tired: @ Winnipeg (Sunday)
Rested: None
Notes
The Mammoth play four games this week including three games in four nights... Karel Vejmelka should see action in three games with Vitek Vanecek playing once... Sean Durzi suffered an upper-body injury Oct. 11 versus the Predators. He was expected to be out four weeks, but he is currently ahead of schedule... Nick Schmaltz had the hat trick Friday, giving him seven points to lead Utah.
VANCOUVER
Games this week
@ Pittsburgh, @ Nashville, vs. Montreal, vs. Edmonton
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
The Canucks play four games this week including three contests in four nights... Thatcher Demko will play at least twice and possibly three times with Kevin Lankinen patrolling the crease in the remainder of the action... Max Sasson started the season in the minors but he was recalled with injuries up front. Sasson has a goal in each of the two games he has played in.
VEGAS
Games this week
vs. Carolina, @ Florida, @ Tampa Bay
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
Jack Eichel leads the NHL in scoring with 15 points after a four-assist effort Saturday... Mitch Marner scored his first two goals for the Golden Knights on Saturday... Mark Stone also scored his first two of the season, in a 6-1 shellacking of the Flames on Saturday, giving him 13 points... Stone left Saturday's game early and there was no word after the game as to the extent of his injury... Pavel Dorofeyev leads the Golden Knights with six goals... Shea Theodore has been a disappointment to poolies with only one assist in six games and has lost his spot on the first power play as Vegas has been going with five forwards.
WASHINGTON
Games this week
vs. Seattle, @ Columbus, vs. Ottawa
Tired: vs. Ottawa (Saturday)
Rested: vs. Seattle (Tuesday)
Notes
Pierre-Luc Dubois (lower body) could return versus Seattle on Tuesday, though he needs to practice in a regular jersey... Tom Wilson leads the Capitals with seven points while Aliaksei Protas leads the team with four goals in five games... Keep an eye on Anthony Beauvillier. He has been seeing some time with Alex Ovechkin and Ovechkin likes playing with him on his line.
WINNIPEG
Games this week
@ Calgary, vs. Seattle, vs. Calgary, vs. Utah
Tired: vs. Calgary (Friday)
Rested: vs. Utah (Sunday)
Notes
The Jets play four games this week including three games in four nights... Connor Hellebuyck should start three times with Eric Comrie getting one start... The Jets play a pair of games versus Calgary this week so if there are any fisticuffs, look for Logan Stanley to be involved... The Jets are led offensively once again by Mark Scheifele (nine points) and Kyle Connor (eight points)... Jonathan Toews has three helpers thus far.
