The NHL's October tone-setters: Michkov, Utah's depth and an 18-year-old Leaf
Philadelphia's new-look attack beat Colorado 3-2, Utah won with five goal scorers, and an 18-year-old Leaf joined rare company. Two weeks in, identities are forming.
- The Flyers defeated the Avalanche 3-2. Matvei Michkov scored two goals, bringing his season total to six, Trevor Zegras recorded three assists in his first game as a Flyer, and Joseph Woll earned his first win as a Flyer. m:…5480
- The Utah Mammoth beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-4, with five different goal scorers and 11 different players on the scoresheet. It was Sebastian Cossa's first home start. m:…7974
- Gavin McKenna became the second Maple Leafs player age 18 or younger in the modern era to record six or more points through his first 10 career games. Auston Matthews scored his seventh goal of the season, the 112th power-play goal of his career. Toronto sits at 4-4-2 with 10 points. m:…9953
- The Red Wings depart for their first extended road trip of the season, four games across the Pacific Northwest and Western Canada from Oct. 20-27, after playing seven of their first eight games on home ice. Detroit is 3-3-2 with 8 points. m:…4583
Philadelphia's new-look attack arrives
The Philadelphia Flyers took down the Colorado Avalanche 3-2 at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Monday evening, and the scoring sheet told the story of a remade attack. Matvei Michkov paced the offense with two goals, his fifth and sixth of the season. m:…5480
The new faces delivered too. Trevor Zegras collected three assists in his first game as a Flyer, and Joseph Woll stopped 24 of 26 shots to earn his first win with the club. The Flyers went 1-for-2 on the power play and 2-for-2 on the penalty kill. m:…5480
Colorado kept it close through Martin Necas, who scored his fifth goal of the season, Noel Acciari, who scored his first, and T.J. Hughes, who added his second. Mackenzie Blackwood made 21 saves on 24 shots in the loss. m:…5480
The night also made franchise history off the scoresheet: Cole Knuble made his NHL debut, and the Knubles became the first father-son combination to appear in regular-season games for the Flyers. m:…5480
Utah wins by committee
The Utah Mammoth held on to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-4, and the goals came from everywhere. Five different players scored for Utah: captain Clayton Keller, Kevin Stenlund, Nate Schmidt, Kailer Yamamoto and Nick Schmaltz, whose tally came on the power play. m:…7974
Utah had 11 different players on the scoresheet, the kind of depth-line production coaches dream about in October. The win came in Sebastian Cossa's first home start, a night that included a highlight-reel save. m:…7974
The 18-year-old in Toronto
Toronto's 4-4-2 record with 10 points tells one story, but the individual milestones tell another. Gavin McKenna has 6 points in his first 10 career games, making him the second Maple Leafs player age 18 or younger in the modern era to record six or more points through his first 10 career games. San Jose entered the night at 4-4-1 with 9 points. m:…9953
Auston Matthews scored his seventh goal of the season on the power play, the 112th power-play goal of his career, moving him within range of Darryl Sittler's 120 and Mats Sundin’s 124. Kirill Marchenko also reached 10 points in his first 10 games with Toronto. Matthews also owns the team lead in power-play goals this season with three. m:…9953
Detroit's road test
The Detroit Red Wings practiced at the BELFOR Training Center on Monday morning, then departed for its first extended road trip of the 2026-27 season: four games across the Pacific Northwest and Western Canada from Oct. 20-27. Coach Todd McLellan said the team has spent only one night in a hotel all year. m:…4583
McLellan views the trip as an opportunity for bonding and team building for a group that has spent only one night in a hotel all year, per the club’s report. m:…4583
Detroit is 3-3-2 with 8 points heading into a swing that starts in Seattle against a 5-3-1 Kraken club, then runs through the Canucks at 2-7-1, the Flames at 2-6-0 and closes with the 6-1-1 Oilers. The Red Wings went 19-10-3 against Western Conference foes last season, including 10-4-2 on the road, which is the standard they will be measured against on this trip. m:…4583
What is still unresolved
- Whether Michkov's early scoring pace holds against a schedule that now includes teams game-planning for him.
- Whether Utah's 11-player scoring spread becomes a repeatable identity or a one-game outlier.
- Whether McKenna's historic 10-game start translates into a full-season role as Toronto's record hovers at 4-4-2.
- How the Red Wings' Oct. 20-27 western trip reshapes their standing after a home-heavy start.
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