Sept. 26: NHL Preseason Roundup

Victor Hedman did not play after the first period for the Tampa Bay Lightning in a 6-5 win against the Carolina Hurricanes at Benchmark International Arena in Tampa on Friday.

The Lightning defenseman and captain had an assist but played just nine shifts totaling 7:24 of ice time. Coach Jon Cooper said postgame that Hedman sat out for precautionary reasons.

Wojciech Stachowiak had two goals and an assist, and Zemgus Girgensons also scored twice for Tampa Bay (3-0-0). Oliver Bjorkstrand had a goal and an assist, and Jonas Johansson made 16 saves on 17 shots before being replaced by Harrison Meneghin, who allowed four goals on 14 shots in the third period.

Bradly Nadeau and Givani Smith each had a goal and an assist, and Jesperi Kotkaniemi also scored for Carolina (0-3-0). Justin Robidas and Joel Nystrom each had two assists, and Amir Miftakhov made 22 saves.

Girgensons gave the Lightning a 1-0 lead at 5:03 of the first period, scoring on a one-timer in the slot after Maxim Groshev forced a turnover on the forecheck.

Girgensons then made it 2-0 at 11:30 when he lifted his own rebound into the net from below the right face-off circle. The forward finished with two goals in 82 games last season.

Smith cut it to 2-1 at 14:46. He scored on the doorstep off a pass from Kevin Labanc from below the goal line.

Stachowiak extended the lead to 3-1 with a power-play goal at 19:05 of the second period, knocking in his own rebound from the right side following a pad save by Miftakhov.

Groshev made it 4-1 at 2:55 of the third, scoring in the crease after Miftakhov couldn’t keep the puck covered at the left post.

Carolina quickly responded with two goals in 50 seconds. Gleb Trikozov cut it to 4-2 at 3:25 before Kotkaniemi made it 4-3 at 4:15 by lifting a wrist shot over Meneghin’s glove.

Kotkaniemi, however, left the game with 4:24 remaining in the third after taking a stick to the face from Girgensons, who was assessed a double minor for high-sticking.

Stachowiak scored his second of the game with a redirection of J.J. Moser’s point shot to make it 5-3 at 8:55.

Noel Gunler scored into an open net to cut it to 5-4 at 10:00.

Bjorkstrand pushed it to 6-4 at 12:27, one-timing a backhand feed from Jake Guentzel in the slot for a power-play goal.

Nadeau scored with 12 seconds left to make it 6-5. He stuffed the puck in from near the left post after Smith’s tip attempt went off the crossbar.

Penguins 3, Red Wings 2: John Gibson made 13 saves in his preseason debut for the Detroit Red Wings, but the Pittsburgh Penguins rallied for the win at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh.

Gibson was acquired by Detroit in a trade with the Anaheim Ducks on June 28. The 32-year-old played his first 12 seasons with Anaheim, where he went 204-217-63 with a 2.89 goals-against average, .910 save percentage and 24 shutouts in 506 regular-season games (494 starts).

Philip Tomasino, Robby Fabbri and Connor Dewar scored for the Penguins (1-1-1). Tristan Jarry started and allowed two goals on 13 shots before being replaced midway through the second period by Arturs Silovs, who stopped all seven shots he faced.

John Leonard scored both goals for the Red Wings (2-1-0). Michal Postava allowed two goals on six shots in relief of Gibson.

Leonard gave Detroit a 1-0 lead at 13:38 of the first period, scoring on a breakaway with a wrist shot from the left circle following a turnover by the Penguins. He then scored on the power play with a wrist shot from the point at 18:20 to extend the lead to 2-0.

Leonard signed a one-year contract with the Red Wings on July 2 after scoring 36 goals in 72 games for Charlotte of the American Hockey League last season.

Dewar cut it to 2-1 at 2:32 of the second period. With his back to the net, he was able to score with a backhand to the far side from the left circle.

Fabbri tied the game 2-2 at 4:46 of the third period. The 29-year-old forward is in camp with Pittsburgh on a professional tryout after playing 44 games for the Ducks last season (16 points; eight goals, eight assists).

Tomasino gave the Penguins a 3-2 lead at 9:54, scoring in the slot off a pass from below the goal line from Filip Hallander.

Devils 4, Islanders 2: Nathan Legare and Angus Crookshank each had a goal and an assist in the third period for the New Jersey Devils in their win against the New York Islanders at UBS Arena in Elmont, New York.

Luke Glendening and Arseny Gritsyuk also scored, and Seamus Casey had two assists for the Devils (2-1-0). Jake Allen made 11 saves before being replaced midway through the second period by Jakub Malek, who also allowed one goal on 12 shots.

Anthony Duclair and Marc Gatcomb scored for the Islanders (1-2-1). Ilya Sorokin played the whole game and made 23 saves in his first start this postseason.

Glendening, who is attending training camp on a professional tryout, gave New Jersey a 1-0 lead on their first shot of the game at 2:01 of the first period. He knocked down a pass from Casey on a rush before beating Sorokin blocker side from the right circle.

Gatcomb tied it 1-1 at 11:30 of the second period. He slid in a rebound with his backhand from the top of the crease.

Legare put the Devils back in front 2-1 at 8:44 of the third period. He poked the puck away from Matthew Schaefer at the blue line, skated in on a short breakaway, and beat Sorokin blocker side.

Gritsyuk extended the lead to 3-1 at 12:21, knocking in his own rebound on a breakaway.

Duclair cut it to 3-2 at 16:50, but Crookshank scored an empty-net goal at 18:57 for the 4-2 final.

Oilers 4, Jets 0: Calvin Pickard earned a 21-save shutout for the Edmonton Oilers against the Winnipeg Jets at Rogers Place in Edmonton.

The Oilers goalie has yet to allow a goal in the preseason. He made eight saves in a 3-2 win at the Jets on Tuesday before being replaced by Matt Tomkins midway through the second period.

Darnell Nurse and Josh Samanski each had a goal and an assist for Edmonton (3-1-1).

Domenic DiVincentiis made 16 saves for Winnipeg (0-2-1).

Nurse gave the Oilers a 1-0 lead at 9:12 of the first period with a slap shot from just outside the left circle.

Samanski extended the lead to 2-0 at 18:37. He roofed a shot from the right circle off a pass from David Tomasek, who had intercepted a clearing attempt.

Noah Philp made it 3-0 at 2:26 of the second period, and Kasperi Kapanen pushed it to 4-0 at 9:50 of the third when he jammed in a rebound at the left post.

Canucks 4, Kraken 2: Evander Kane scored in his preseason debut with the Vancouver Canucks, who rallied past the Seattle Kraken in the third period at Rogers Arena in Vancouver.

Kane, who was acquired in a trade with the Oilers on June 25, shot into an empty net at 18:49 of the third for the 4-2 final. He was plus-2 and had four shots on goal in 19:41 of ice time.

Jake DeBrusk, Filip Hronek and Braeden Cootes scored for the Canucks (2-1-0). Kevin Lankinen made 17 saves in his first start of the preseason before being replaced by Nikita Tolopilo, who stopped all four shots he faced in the third.

Jani Nyman and Tyson Jugnauth scored for the Kraken (2-2-0). Matt Murray made 33 saves.

Nyman gave Seattle a 1-0 lead at 2:19 of the first period, redirecting Lukas Dragicevic's shot from the right point.

Jugnauth made it 2-0 at 7:00 of the second period with a one-timer from the left circle.

Cootes, who was selected with the No. 15 pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, cut it to 2-1 at 9:10 when Jonathan Lekkerimaki's shot from the left circle deflected in off him in front.

Hronek tied it 2-2 just 39 seconds into the third period. He scored through a screen with a slap shot from above the circles.

DeBrusk then scored a power-play goal at 12:32 to give Vancouver a 3-2 lead.

Golden Knights 2, Sharks 1: Lukas Cormier broke a tie with a power-play goal early in the third period, and the Vegas Golden Knights defeated the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center in San Jose.

Cole Schwindt also scored, and Akira Schmid made 13 saves for the Golden Knights (2-2-0).

Dmitry Orlov scored in his first game for the Sharks (1-1-0), and Yaroslav Askarov made 27 saves in his preseason debut.

Orlov, who signed a two-year, $13 million contract ($6.5 million average annual value) on July 3, put San Jose in front 1-0 at 4:48 of the second period when he one-timed a rolling puck from the point.

Schwindt tied it 1-1 at 8:15. After keeping the puck in at the blue line, he skated to his left and snapped a high shot through traffic from above the left face-off circle.

Cormier put Vegas in front 2-1 at 5:12 of the third with a one-timer from the left point that beat Askarov glove side.

Sharks center Michael Misa, the No. 2 pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, nearly tied it on a power play with 4:14 left in the third, but Schmid made a left pad save on his wrist shot from below the left hash marks.