Favorite moments through 1st quarter of season discussed by NHL.com staff

The 2025-26 season reaches the quarter mark during the 12-game slate Thursday, and there have already been countless magical moments to play out in arenas across North America.

The Colorado Avalanche can't lose in regulation. Young guns Macklin Celebrini of the San Jose Sharks and Connor Bedard of the Chicago Blackhawks can't stop scoring. Defenseman Matthew Schaefer, the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, is playing his position like few before him as he becomes a mainstay for the New York Islanders and forces himself into the conversation about playing for Team Canada in the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 in February. Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals continues to rewrite the record book. The Pittsburgh Penguins, with their veteran core of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang, are tied with the Winnipeg Jets for the second-most regulation wins (10) and split two games with the Nashville Predators at the 2025 NHL Global Series Sweden presented by Fastenal.

There will be many more across the next five months of the regular season, but there is already a treasure trove that has happened.

We asked a panel of NHL.com writers and editors for their favorites. Here, in chronological order, are their selections.

Jonathan Toews' return

The public address announcer at Canada Life Centre barely got out the words "A three-time Stanley Cup champion …" when the crowd erupted for Jonathan Toews' return to the NHL with his hometown Jets against the Dallas Stars on Oct. 9. The former Blackhawks captain was back after a two-year hiatus from the game to deal with health issues. Toews has played all 19 games for the Jets and has eight points (three goals, five assists). The 37-year-old still plays the two-way game that is his trademark, and what better voice could the Jets have in their room than the three-time Cup winner? It's great to see Toews back in the game. -- Tracey Myers, staff writer

Serenading Schaefer

The impact Schaefer is having with the Islanders has been historically remarkable. The most memorable moment for me occurred when he scored his first NHL goal in his first game at UBS Arena, against the Washington Capitals on Oct. 11. After skating in from the point, Schaefer dove at the edge of the crease and got enough of the puck to flip it over goalie Logan Thompson's pad to pull New York within 4-2 at 4:28 of the third period. The excitement that ensued on the Islanders bench and the 17,255 fans in attendance, who started chanting "Matthew Schaefer," produced goosebumps. "If I was a fan, I would pay to watch him play," New York coach Patrick Roy said after the 4-2 loss. -- Mike G. Morreale, senior draft writer

Classy Canadiens remember Dryden

No team in pro sports honors one of its own like the Montreal Canadiens. And so it was, at Bell Centre on Oct. 14, when the Canadiens paid tribute to the late Ken Dryden like only they can. With the house lights turned down inside the cavernous arena, two spotlights shone brightly, one on one of the nets, where Dryden's mask lay atop the cage, the other on the banner of his retired No. 29 that dangled from the rafters. Cue the goosebumps. The definition of class in so many ways and the perfect way to say goodbye. Dryden, who died from cancer Sept. 5 at age 78, played for the Canadiens from 1970-79, helped them to six Stanley Cup championships and won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's top goalie five times, in 1973 and 1976-79. -- Mike Zeisberger, staff writer

Flyers team up with kids for Hockey Fights Cancer

My favorite moment of the season so far came in a crowded back locker room at the Philadelphia Flyers Training Center in Voorhees, New Jersey, on Oct. 21. I got to watch nine players each join a youngster fighting or recovering from cancer to spend an afternoon playing with markers, crayons and colored pencils to design some amazing gear for the Flyers' HFC game Thursday. The star of the show without question was Frankie Wilson, an 11-year-old battling Ewing's sarcoma, a form of bone cancer. Her smile and energy could light up all of Broad Street. Travis Konecny, who was the perfect partner for Frankie, said it best: "It doesn't matter what we've got going on. This is a day that'll put a smile on your face, puts a smile on their face." -- Adam Kimelman, deputy managing editor

A night to remember at the World's Most Famous Arena

Celebrini made Madison Square Garden the venue for his first signature moment of the season. The Sharks' 19-year-old center put on an electric performance against the New York Rangers on Oct. 23. He had a hat trick and two assists, including the primary helper on Will Smith's overtime goal, in a 6-5 win. It was San Jose's first victory after opening the season with six straight defeats (0-4-2). Celebrini scored twice in the first, capped his hat trick with a goal at 19:54 of the second, and assisted on Smith's go-ahead goal in the third and his OT tally. It was brilliance just off Broadway. -- Dan Rosen, senior writer

Ovechkin's 900th goal

It took a little longer than most expected this season for Alex Ovechkin to become the first player in NHL history to score 900 goals, but the Capitals captain did it in a unique fashion (for him) against the St. Louis Blues at Capital One Arena on Nov. 5. Ovechkin entered the season with 897 goals after passing Wayne Gretzky for the NHL record by scoring No. 895 on April 6 against the Islanders, but scored twice in his first 12 games before finally getting his 900th at 2:39 of the second period of 6-1 victory. The milestone goal didn't come on one of Ovechkin's trademark one-timers from the left circle or his lethal wrist shot, but on a spinning backhand from the bottom of the right circle. Blues goalie Jordan Binnington made the moment more memorable by trying to sneak off with the puck and hiding it in the back of his pants before linesperson Michel Cormier got him to give it back. -- Tom Gulitti, senior writer

Memorable night for Kadri

The Calgary Flames are struggling this season and have not had much to celebrate outside of the night forward Nazem Kadri played his 1,000th NHL game Nov. 5. It turned out to be a special night for Kadri and the Flames, who defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-1 at Scotiabank Saddledome. Kadri, with his family in attendance, was presented a silver stick prior to the game for reaching the milestone. He then went out and scored his fourth goal of the season to give Calgary a 3-1 lead at 7:47 of the second period. Kadri was named the game's First Star. -- Derek Van Diest, staff writer

McDavid magic

The Edmonton Oilers lost to the Avalanche 9-1 on Nov. 8. Then they trailed the Blue Jackets 3-1 early in the third period Nov. 10. Oilers captain Connor McDavid needed to do something, so he carried the puck across the Columbus blue line on a 2-on-2. He hit the brakes atop the right circle, spun around as a defender fell and backhanded the puck into the far side of the net. It was McDavid doing McDavid things to spark his team. He scored again later in the third, and the Oilers won 5-4 in overtime. -- Nicholas J. Cotsonika, columnist

Forsberg's Sweden homecoming

The week the Predators spent in Sweden would have been sweet no matter what, between the family time, the meatballs, the visit to the children's hospital and the chance for Filip Forsberg to show off his country to his teammates and the hockey world at the Global Series. Then Forsberg made it all the sweeter. With 1:10 remaining in the third period, down 1-0 to the Penguins on Nov. 14, Forsberg scored to tie the game and send it to overtime, and Steven Stamkos won it for the Predators. Though Forsberg joked that getting the goal on his breakaway chance in OT would have been the real fairytale ending to the night, it was clear from his expression, his joy and the way he called the two games in Sweden "the most fun regular-season games I've played in my life" just how memorable the week was. -- Amalie Benjamin, senior writer

Young stars shine brightly on busy night

Celebrini and Bedard each had a hat trick Tuesday, becoming the first two players 20 or younger to score three goals on the same night since Jack Hamilton and Bud Poile of the Toronto Maple Leafs on Feb. 19, 1944. Bedard, 20, went first in a 5-2 win against the Flames for his second three-goal game of the season to give him 13 goals in 19 games, tied with Patrick Kane for the most goals before 20 games by a Blackhawks player in the past 25 years. Then it was Celebrini, who scored twice in the first six minutes against the Utah Mammoth before he finished with the overtime goal for a 3-2 victory. The 19-year-old is one of three teenagers to finish a hat trick in overtime, joining Jordan Staal (Feb. 10, 2007) and Patrik Laine (Oct. 19, 2016). The remote got a workout Tuesday. -- Shawn P. Roarke, senior director of editorial