Locked On NHL - Daily Podcast On The National Hockey League

The Wild are all business in a win over Columbus. Is there too much pressure on the Jackets? Could there be an alternative to Dylan Larkin for Minnesota? Calgary has had a tough year, but Devin Cooley's best performance propels them over a tired Carolina team. Plus, Alex Wiederspiel's rant on the analytics trap. And Mike Asti posits why Connor McDavid doesn't need to validate himself by winning the Stanley Cup.

Get NHL game recaps, analysis, and standings updates. Bruins, Avalanche, Penguins, and Ducks highlights from Locked On NHL Game Night

Get NHL scores, highlights, and analysis from a busy night featuring hat tricks, comeback wins, and team updates on Locked On NHL Game Night.

With only two games on the night, Mike Asti and Alex Wiederspiel are able to fully unpack what went on in two epic battles between likely contenders. First, the Capitals left the arena smiling after a big win over Montreal. How important is Alex Tuch? Does Washington now have a legitimate backup goalie? And then out West, the Stars got their revenge against Colorado, but do one or both teams now have a goalie controversy brewing?

Colorado and Dallas gets a little heated in a 3-2 Colorado win. Good news! They're back at it on Wednesday. The Tkachuks went wild in a 7-3 Panthers win over Columbus. Montreal does everything right, but sweats out a 4-3 win over pesky Buffalo. Andrei Svechnikov's hot start propels the Hurricanes 4-2 win over Washington. Utah survived a Toronto rally to win 5-4. Alexis Lafreniere's seven goals in eight games leads the Rangers, while Dylan Garand outplays Andrei Vasilevskiy. Edmonton gets great goaltending from Devon Levi to keep the Kings winless. The Flyers are also still winless despite their best played game of the season, losing to east-coast killers from Seattle. In a frenzied final segment: we touch on the literal return of Connor Bedard and figurative return of Sidney Crosby in Chicago's home win over Pittsburgh, Boston's 11 p.m. start time not being a problem in San Jose, the oddly close Devils-Wings game, letdowns for Ottawa and Minnesota as they were blown out by St. Louis and Winnipeg respectively. Plus, the Islanders get the result they want, and Canucks fans get the result they want. Calgary plays their best game to spoil Roger McQueen's debut for Anaheim. Vegas comfortably defeats Nashville as Jack Eichel builds his early Hart case.

As the NHL continues to wait for the Florida Panthers to gel and look like the super team they were labeled to be, Mike Asti and Alex Wiederspiel discuss a Monday with only three games. They wonder if the Sabres were overlooked entering the season and what’s going on with Florida. How much time will the Panthers need to gel? Can the Senators keep this up and how much of a statement did Minnesota make in their win over Vegas?

The Carolina Hurricanes continue to make Philadelphia fans boo. They've won five straight to improve to 5-1-1. The Flyers are off to their worst start in franchise history. Is this it for Rick Tocchet? The Rangers first game after the devastating Igor Shesterkin injury was a good one, and the team rallied around their new young netminder Dylan Garand. For Washington, what seemed like a scheduled win for them with Seattle traveling across the country turned out very differently. The Kraken are off to a nice start.

NHL Game Night recap: Rangers lose Shesterkin to injury, Capitals, Ducks, Kraken, and Blue Jackets secure wins. Latest scores, highlights, and analysis.

Recap of NHL Game Night 10-8-26: Bruins, Hurricanes, Avalanche, and Golden Knights win big; Flyers, Canadiens, and Flames struggle to start the season.

Mike Asti is joined by Tom Callahan on this episode of LockedOn NHL Game Night. With only three games, Tom Wilson stepped up to lead the Capitals to a win in the latest chapter of Sidney Crosby vs. Alexander Ovechkin rivalry. Winnipeg continued to show they can compete by handing the Cup-favorite Avalanche their first loss. Edmonton then capped off the night by storming back from an early deficit to blowout the Ducks in a playoff rematch.

Detroit Red Wings spiral deeper into crisis as a front office void, the Dylan Larkin trade drama, and Simon Edvinsson’s contract standoff spark outrage among fans. Is the “biggest mess in sports” about to cost Detroit its best assets? Seth Toupal and JD Young break down the dysfunction, from owner Chris Ilitch’s tone-deaf outreach to a powerless interim GM and a fanbase teetering on revolt. Detroit Red Wings spiral deeper into crisis as a front office void, the Dylan Larkin trade drama, and Simon Edvinsson’s contract standoff spark outrage among fans. Is the “biggest mess in sports” about to cost Detroit its best assets? Seth Toupal and JD Young break down the dysfunction, from owner Chris Ilitch’s tone-deaf outreach to a powerless interim GM and a fanbase teetering on revolt. Philadelphia Flyers’ offensive drought raises big questions after just five goals in four games, while Toronto Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers, and Los Angeles Kings wrestle with chaotic starts. Can the Flyers’ offense recover, or is a shakeup looming? Get key stats on shot-attempt differentials, goalie woes in Edmonton, and early panic signals from Toronto as Gavin McKenna faces outsized scrutiny. Will these NHL giants steady the ship or sink further?

The Florida Panthers Place Aleksander Barkov on LTIR but get Brad Marchand back; the Edmonton Oilers are scoring a lot of goals but giving up nearly as many; while the Toronto Maple Leafs adjust to new players including Gavin McKenna.