Tampa Bay Lightning 6-4 Winnipeg Jets
The Tampa Bay Lightning (8-3-1) may be the NHL's most overlooked teams, as they have gotten off to another red-hot start in 2026/27, but against the Winnipeg Jets (4-6-3) at home on Thursday, it was anything but comfortable for them. Despite racing out to a 5-1 lead at the end of the second period, the Jets fought hard on the road, with Kyle Connor's first of the night with three minutes remaining gave them every opportunity to get back in the game.
From there though, the Lightning shut it down, with Anthony Cirelli and Brandon Hagel both tallying three-point nights as Tampa Bay sealed the deal with an empty net goal as they remain undefeated at home this season with a record of 6-0-0.
Utah Mammoth 4-3 Pittsburgh Penguins
The Utah Mammoth (9-5-0) are loaded with proven talent, but they do have one of the most exciting young groups in the NHL, and on Thursday, they proved just how much potential they have as a unit. It wasn't easy though, as Ben Kindel scored with 25 seconds left to give the Pittsburgh Penguins (5-6-2) the lead, but with just one second left on the clock, Logan Cooley tied this game up, sealing his hat-trick in the process.
In overtime, it was Mikhail Sergachev that played the hero, scoring on a pass from Barrett Hayton as Utah seal a victory in one of the craziest games we've seen early in the 2026/27 campaign.
Carolina Hurricanes 3-2 Columbus Blue Jackets
The Carolina Hurricanes (11-2-2) haven't missed a beat early in 2026/27, and while they aren't blowing teams away early, they've continued to grind out victories, which is exactly what they did on Thursday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets (5-6-0). 16 seconds into the third period, the 'Canes scored through Mark Jankowski giving them a 3-0 lead, but from there Columbus tried their hardest to claw things back, as Kent Johnson made it a one-goal game midway through the final frame.
Unfortunately for the Blue Jackets, Pyotr Kochetkov made 24 saves on 26 shots, and it was enough for the defending Stanley Cup Champions to pick up the win as they move to 4-1-1 through six games at home this season.
Detroit Red Wings 4-1 Chicago Blackhawks
The Detroit Red Wings (6-4-3) have been a pleasent surprise for many early in the 2026/27 season, and while most had them as a favorite for last place in the Eastern Conference, they've picked up 15 points through their first 13 games played. On Thursday, they battled the endlessly rebuilding Chicago Blackhawks (4-9-0), and while Connor Bedard tallied his fourth of the season, that's where the positives began and ended for the Original Six franchise.
That came early, and then the Red Wings reeled off four straight goals, with an empty net goal to Viktor Arvidsson sealing his first hat-trick of the season, and in doing so, sent the Blackhawks to a winless 0-5-0 away from home early in the year.
St. Louis Blues 4-1 Boston Bruins
The St. Louis Blues (6-6-1) have struggled for consistency early in the 2026/27, but when they're at their best, they've shown that they can be among the best teams in the entire Western Conference. Against the Boston Bruins (9-4-1), they were at their best as they knocked off a top contender in the East, with four different goal scorers and three points to Philip Broberg on the night leading them to a comfortable win.
It wasn't all bad for Boston, as former top pick James Hagens once again found the back of the net for his 5th of the season, but with Joel Hofer stopping the other 31 shots that he saw on the night, this was simply a case of the Blues being way too dominant.
Montreal Canadiens 5-2 Dallas Stars
The Montreal Canadiens (8-3-2) have high hopes this year, and with the incredible young group they've built over the past five years, it's all paying off now, as this team looks like a genuine heavyweight and Stanley Cup contender. They battled another contender on Thursday in the Dallas Stars (7-5-1), but by the end of the first period, the Canadiens had taken control, and they didn't relinquish it for the remainder of the game.
In the first, Montreal saw a goal to Alex Newhook and two to Cole Caufield, and by the time Newhook scored to make it 4-1, the game was essentially over, with the only consolation for Dallas being the goal and assist from rising star Wyatt Johnston.
New York Islanders 4-3 Minnesota Wild
The New York Islanders (7-4-2) have found their rhythm as of late, and behind two goals and 3 points from superstar defenseman Matthew Schaefer, they picked up another crucial victory on Thursday. This one didn't come easy against the Minnesota Wild (9-3-3), who scored through Matt Boldy with four minutes left to tie the game, but in overtime, it was the Islanders that came up with the biggest play.
Unsurprisingly after a clutch rookie campaign it was Schaefer that delivered the game winning moment, with the Islanders moving to 3-3-1 on the road this season as they continue to battle for a post-season spot in the Metropolitan Division.
Washington Capitals 4-3 Nashville Predators
When the Washington Capitals (8-4-0) are hot, there's few teams in the NHL that can keep up with their firepower, and on Thursday against the Nashville Predators (4-4-5), we saw exactly that once more. Six minutes into the third period, Ross Colton tied the game up, but the ever resilient Capitals were there to bounce back, as Alex Tuch's first of the night was enough to get the Capitals over the line.
Both Cole Hutson and Filip Forsberg had two goals in this one, a matchup that was one of the best of the night around the NHL, but in net Charlie Lindgren did just enough to get the job done as the Capitals held on to pick up a key road win, taking them to 2-2-0 away from home this year.