Sept. 21: NHL Preseason Roundup

Bowen Byram scored a hat trick, including the game-winner 29 seconds into overtime, in his debut for the Chicago Blackhawks, a 4-3 win against the Minnesota Wild at United Center in Chicago on Monday.

Byram skated the puck around tight defense from Wild forward Bobby Brink before scoring with a wrist shot that trickled past Calvin Pickard from the left circle.

2026-27 NHL Preseason Stats

"At the start of the game I was pretty nervous, to be honest," Byram said. "But once I got a few shifts in, I settled down and just focused on trying to play quick and get in the rush and defend hard."

Byram was acquired in a trade with the Buffalo Sabres, who received the No. 4 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft as part of the deal, on June 23. He then signed a six-year, $75 million contract ($12.5 million average annual value) with the Blackhawks on July 1 that begins next season.

"When you score three it’s great, but he’s been really good every day so he’s a good player," Blackhawks coach Jeff Blashill said. "Obviously it’s (preseason) game No. 2 for the season. We have lots ahead of us, but we have a ton of belief in him as a player, as a person, as a competitor, as a guy who is going to help our team a lot. So whether he’d scored or didn’t score, I still wouldn’t change the level of belief that we have in him.”

Nick Lardis had a goal and an assist, and Spencer Knight made 19 saves for Chicago.

Brink had two goals, Maxim Shabanov also scored, and Pickard made 16 saves for Minnesota.

It was each team's second preseason game. The two also played each other t Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Saturday, a 3-2 overtime win by the Wild.

Brink redirected a shot from David Spacek over the shoulder of Knight just 15 seconds into the first period to put Minnesota up 1-0.

Lardis tied it 1-1 at 8:40. He got the puck out of the penalty box, skated it into the offensive zone and beat Pickard with a wrist shot.

Byram scored at 2:48 of the second period to make it 2-1. He received a pass from Ryan Greene and ripped a wrist shot from the slot past Pickard.

Byram scored again 24 seconds into the third period to push it to 3-1. His no-look pass that was intended for Roman Kantserov hit off of the stick of Wild defenseman Daemon Hunt and deflected into the net.

"He was great," Lardis said. "Obviously a hat trick as a defenseman is not easy. Even just a hat trick for anyone in this league isn’t easy. He’s going to be a special player for us this year, for sure. He’s going to be one of the leaders on this team and it was fun to watch out there tonight.”

Shabanov cut it to 3-2 at 4:07 before Brink tied it 3-3 at 11:29 with his second goal of the game. After Chicago defenseman Wyatt Kaiser misplayed the puck, Brink skated in on a rush, deked around Alex Vlasic and put a wrist shot past Knight's glove.

Devils 3, Rangers 2: Jack Hughes scored the tiebreaking goal with 2:12 remaining in the third to give the New Jersey Devils a 3-2 win against the New York Rangers at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

Hughes skated down through the right circle before cutting to the goal line and jamming the puck in from outside the post.

It was the first preseason game for the Rangers. The Devils defeated the New York Islanders 2-1 on Sunday.

Timo Meier had a goal and an assist for New Jersey. Jake Allen stopped all three shots he faced in the first before giving way to Nico Daws, who made 13 saves during the final two periods.

Forwards Anthony Mantha (15:33 ice time) and Luke Evangelista (assist) each made his debut with the Devils. Mantha signed a two-year, $9.5 million contract ($4.75 million AAV) as a free agent July 15. Evangelista was acquired in a trade with the Nashville Predators on Sept. 1 before signing a five-year, $36.25 million contract ($7.25 million AAV) on Sept. 15. That deal begins next season.

Anton Blidh and Drew Fortescue scored for New York. Dylan Garand made 28 saves.

Nico Hischier gave the Devils a 1-0 lead at 11:55 of the second, flipping a backhand toward the net from the slot that deflected in off Rangers defenseman Urho Vaakanainen.

Blidh tied it 1-1 at 16:05 when he ripped a wrist shot from above the right circle short side past Daws.

New Jersey went back ahead 2-1 at 19:10. Meier stole the puck behind the net and tucked in a wraparound at the right post.

Fortescue tied it again at 7:07 of the third, scoring with a wrist shot over Daws' glove from just above the right circle.

Rangers forward Adam Sykora left the game because of a lower-body injury at 9:28 of the first after taking a hit in the corner from Devils defenseman Mikael Diotte. Sykora, who did not return, had to be helped off the ice and down the tunnel.

Brett Pesce had an assist in 19:45 of ice time in his first game for New Jersey since March 3; the defenseman missed the remainder of last season with a knee injury.

Capitals 5, Flyers 2: Jonny Brodzinski scored twice for the Washington Capitals in their win against the Philadelphia Flyers at GIANT Center in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

Brodzinski, who signed a one-year, $850,000 contract with Washington as a free agent July 1, also scored in a 3-2 shootout loss to the Boston Bruins on Sunday.

Dylan Strome had a goal and an assist, Ryan Leonard and Aliaksei Protas scored, and Ryan Chesley had three assists for the Capitals. Charlie Lindgren allowed two goals on 14 shots before being replaced midway through the second period by Clay Stevenson, who stopped all six shots he faced.

Cole Knuble had a goal and an assist for the Flyers in their preseason opener. Joseph Woll, who was acquired in a trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs on June 16, made 16 saves on 19 shots. He was relieved at the start of the third by Carson Bjarnason, who made seven saves.

Jack Studnicka gave Philadelphia a 1-0 lead with a power-play goal at 2:42 of the first.

Protas tied it 1-1 with his own power-play goal at 9:35. He knocked in the rebound of Strome's initial shot at the right post during a 5-on-3 advantage.

Leonard put the Capitals in front 2-1 at 19:18. He signed an eight-year, $84 million contract ($10.5 million AAV) with Washington on Sept. 15.

Knuble tied it 2-2 at 8:06 of the second, but Strome responded at 18:17 to give the Capitals a 3-2 lead.

Brodzinski pushed the lead to 4-2 at 1:57 of the third before making it 5-2 with a short-handed goal at 9:45.

Penguins 4, Sabres 1: Bryan Rust had a goal and two assists for the Pittsburgh Penguins, who defeated the Buffalo Sabres at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh.

Connor Dewar had a goal and an assist for the Penguins. Sergei Murashov stopped all 13 shots he faced before being relieved midway through the second by Joel Blomqvist, who allowed one goal on 11 shots.

Jake Richard scored, and Alex Lyon got the start and made 16 saves for the Sabres. Colten Ellis stopped all eight shots he faced in the third.

It was the first preseason game for each team.

Dewar gave Pittsburgh a 1-0 lead at 10:27 of the first. He took a short pass from Rust and surprised Lyon five-hole with a wrist shot from above the slot.

Rust then made it 2-0 with a power-play goal at 12:16 of the second.

Richard cut it to 2-1 with his own power-play goal at 18:32, but Avery Hayes responded with just two seconds left in the period to push it to 3-1.

Elmer Soderblom scored an empty-net goal at 18:13 of the third for the 4-1 final.

Blue Jackets 1, Red Wings 0 (SO): Jet Greaves got the start and stopped all 16 shots he faced for the Columbus Blue Jackets in their victory against the Detroit Red Wings at Nationwide Arena in Columbus.

Greaves was replaced at the start of the third by Pheonix Copley, who made two saves before stopping all three attempts in the shootout.

Conor Garland scored the deciding goal for Columbus in the first round.

Daniil Tarasov, who signed a one-year, $2 million contract with Detroit as a free agent July 1, made 15 saves through two periods. Michal Postava stopped 10 shots in the third.

Each team was playing its first preseason game.

Jets 3, Avalanche 1: Stuart Skinner made 31 saves in his debut with the Winnipeg Jets, who defeated the Colorado Avalanche at Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg.

Skinner signed a two-year, $7.5 million contract ($3.75 million AAV) as a free agent July 1.

Gabriel Vilardi had a goal and an assist, and Josh Morrissey had two assists for the Jets.

Scott Wedgewood made 13 saves for the Avalanche before being relieved midway through the second by Ilya Nabokov, who allowed two goals on five shots.

Vilardi gave Winnipeg a 1-0 lead at 18:55 of the first, one-timing a shot off an Isak Rosen pass from along the boards.

Cole Perfetti one-timed a cross-slot pass from Mark Scheifele at 18:50 of the second period to make it 2-0.

Dylan DeMelo pushed the lead to 3-0 at 6:37 of the third with a wrist shot from the point.

Georgii Merkulov cut it to 3-1 at 14:34.

Defenseman Mario Ferraro made his Jets debut after signing a three-year, $12 million contract ($4 million AAV) as a free agent July 1.

Stars 2, Blues 1: Casey DeSmith made 30 saves for the Dallas Stars in their win against the St. Louis Blues at American Airlines Center in Dallas.

Defensemen Thomas Harley and Nils Lundkvist scored for the Stars.

Jonatan Berggren scored for the Blues. Joel Hofer started and made 17 saves through two periods before being replaced by Georgi Romanov, who allowed one goal on nine shots in the third.

Mason McTavish made his debut for St. Louis after being acquired in a trade with the Anaheim Ducks on June 26. He had three shots in 14:48 of ice time.

Harley gave Dallas a 1-0 lead at 15:15 of the first. He skated in from the left point and scored through a screen from above the slot.

Lundkvist made it 2-0 at 5:57. He took a pass from Mikko Rantanen as the trailer on a rush and beat Romanov five-hole with a one-timer.

Berggren cut it to 2-1 at 15:22.