NHL roundup: Bruins and Hurricanes explode for an avalanche of goals

[h2]Ottawa Senators 2-1 Philadelphia Flyers[/h2][p]The Philadelphia Flyers (0-2-2) were one of three teams entering Thursday without a win in 2026/27, but against the Ottawa Senators (2-1-0), the Flyers showed fight early behind the second goal of the season from Matvei Michkov. However, it was the Senators got on the board first through Nick Cousins, with the team entering the third period tied at 1-1.[/p][embed guid="6d20037d-10a2-457f-9aa4-c4a56cfce4be" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xFNlQ0z4oA" social-type="youtube" /][p]For the most part, this was a matchup that was tight and physical for two teams with post-season hopes in 2026/27, but late in the third, it was Carter Yakemchuk with a key goal that put the team up 2-1 with little time left to play. That one ended up being the difference maker, with Ottawa moving to 3-1-0 on the year with a hard fought 2-1 victory at home over a very game Flyers team that now fall to 0-3-2.[/p][h2]Boston Bruins 6-1 Utah Mammoth[/h2][p]The Utah Mammoth (3-1-0) have been full of offense early in 2026/27, but on Thursday, they ran into the Boston Bruins (2-2-0), and while they've been up-and-down early in the year, with the home team hitting their strides early. In both the first and second period, Boston netted three goals, taking them out to a 6-0 lead on the back of a double from David Pastrnak and four other goal scorers.[/p][embed guid="6b694f93-f8c5-4aeb-ad6f-8a77a93725cc" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUVDk8aLna8" social-type="youtube" /][p]Clearly, this game was over heading into the third, and while the Mammoth got a consolation goal from Jack McBain, it was the Bruins that cruised to a 6-1 victory as Boston make a major statement with their offense on Thursday.[/p][h2]Dallas Stars 4-0 Buffalo Sabres[/h2][p]The Dallas Stars (1-2-0) have been off to a very slow start this year, and on Thursday things didn't get easier against the Buffalo Sabres (2-1-0), but in the second period, the team rode goals from Rantanen, Hintz and Steel to get them to 4-0 on the road against the Sabres.[/p][embed guid="554f30a5-33a8-4845-b22c-3b0575177487" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rc85ht75aY" social-type="youtube" /][p]While the Sabres pushed hard in the third period, it simply wasn't their night offensively as the team didn't manage to score on 26 shots as it was the Stars that got back to 2-2-0 on the season with a 4-0 shutout on the back of a fantastic performance from Jake Oettinger.[/p][h2]Nashville Predators 5-2 Montreal Canadiens[/h2][p]Not every game on Thursday has been one-sided, with the Montreal Canadiens (1-1-1) and Nashville Predators (1-1-1) each tallying two goals in the second period to head into the final frame of the night tied at 2-2, with both looking to find some genuine momentum early in the year.[/p][embed guid="f81d3e6e-b731-4ae3-8f06-0cded2f909e0" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lJWl-P0YWI" social-type="youtube" /][p]While Montreal fought hard from there, it was all Nashville in the third period, with goals to Ryan O'Reilly and two to Adam Edstrom finishing off what was a dominant period as the Predators came out on top, winning this one by a score of 5-2.[/p][h2]Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2 Minnesota Wild[/h2][p]The Minnesota Wild (2-0-1) and Tampa Bay Lightning (2-1-0) both have lofty expectations in 2026/27, and in this clash, there was nothing but physicality and offensive talent on display for arguably the best contest of the night thus far. Heading into the third period, Quinn Hughes and Blake Coleman scored for Minnesota with John Carlsson and Anthony Cirelli notching goals for the Lightning, but in the third, it was Carlsson's second that put Tampa Bay up 3-2 in a tight clash.[/p][embed guid="7d2f56b1-d6ba-467e-9b78-79c8ea614afa" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nimiLfMERLs" social-type="youtube" /][p]Despite pushing hard, Minnesota couldn't find the game tying goal, and now, Tampa Bay sit at 3-1-0 on the season as they come away victorious against the Wild in a very brutal contest.[/p][h2]Carolina Hurricanes 7-2 Vancouver Canucks[/h2][p]The Vancouver Canucks (2-2-0) have been surprisingly competitive early in 2026/27, but on Thursday, they found themselves matched up with the defending Champion Carolina Hurricanes (2-1-1), and at home, the 'Canes were feeling themselves. Like Boston, Carolina had three goals in each of the first two periods, with Andrei Svechnikov and Logan Stankoven both having two to get the team out to a 6-1 lead at the end of two.[/p][embed guid="10842e1b-cdf4-4ea2-8338-3977eb74d123" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wroMLMn0QjA" social-type="youtube" /][p]The Hurricanes didn't take their foot off the gas however, as the third period saw Stankoven finish off the first hat-trick of his NHL career as Carolina continued to pile on at home. For the Canucks, all the offense came from Jake DeBrusk who had two goals of his own, and after putting up some big totals of their own early in the year, the competition was too much to overcome here.[/p][p]In the end, the Hurricanes picked up their third win of the season in very comfortable fashion 7-2, and with the team still not at full healthy, that could be a scary sign for the rest of the NHL.[/p][h2]New York Islanders 4-1 Chicago Blackhawks[/h2][p]Neither the New York Islanders (1-2-0) or the Chicago Blackhawks (1-3-0) have got off to great starts in 2026/27, but on Thursday, one had to pick up a key victory as they look to take a huge leap forward this season. In this matchup, it was virtually all Islanders at home, with two goals to captain Bo Horvat leading the way for New York as they posted 2 goals in the second period to go up 3-0.[/p][embed guid="8f022a1f-f709-475d-9910-a69b64d6aa63" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPtJxjNrnWo" social-type="youtube" /][p]The final frame was a tight one, but with Ilya Sorokin stopping all but one of the 23 shots he saw on the evening, it was the Islanders that ended up cruising to a victory as they get back to 2-2-0 on the season with the solid 4-1 win on home ice.[/p][h2]San Jose Sharks 3-2 St. Louis Blues[/h2][p]One team that everyone has their eyes on in 2026/27 is the rising San Jose Sharks, and with superstar Macklin Celebrini still sidelined, the 2-1-0 team faced a major challenge in the 1-2-0 St. Louis Blues. That challenge faced both teams as they battled through three periods to a 2-2 stalemate, with goals to Colin Graf, Tyler Toffoli, Connor McMichael and Dillon Dube enough to send this one to overtime.[/p][embed guid="29a05f1a-ed7a-4a9c-a615-c9ad0fe14954" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1Je7m-PR30" social-type="youtube" /][p]In OT, it was veteran Darnell Nurse, acquired this off-season by the Sharks that played hero, with a fantastic play from rookie Ivar Stenberg to set things up as the Sharks move to 3-1-0 on the season as they picked up the dramatic win on the road to silence the St. Louis crowd. [/p][h2]Colorado Avalance 7-3 Calgary Flames[/h2][p]Through three games, the Calgary Flames have been the NHL's worst offense and defense, posting a differential of -13 as they were the only team in the league to not record a point early in the year. On Thursday, they welcomed to Calgary the high-octane offense of the Colorado Avalanche, and while things were hard fought early, on the back of two goals from Cale Makar, Devon Toews and Jaden Schwartz, the Avalanche cruised to victory.[/p][embed guid="d507c43b-9578-47d6-a35f-152b778d570e" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqm4SCEHpjU" social-type="youtube" /][p]The Flames saw debutant Jonathan Castagna record his first point in the NHL while T.J. Hughes did the same for Colorado later in the night, but with the 7-3 victor, the Avalanche moved to 3-1-0 on the season while the Flames remain pointless through their first four matchups of the year.[/p][h2]Vegas Golden Knights 4-3 Toronto Maple Leafs[/h2][p]The last game of the night was perhaps the most dramatic of all, as Mitch Marner faced off against his former team the Toronto Maple Leafs, with goals to Mark Stone, Brett Howden and Jack Eichel seeing the Golden Knights put up plenty of offense once again. In regulation, Toronto also had three goals, with Easton Cowan, Jack Roslovic and Nick Paul getting them on the board, and after 60 tough minutes, this game went to overtime.[/p][embed guid="11455540-fa6d-4452-92f6-681de9032a18" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMNnJhkiMZs" social-type="youtube" /][p]For the crowd wanting more hockey, OT wasn't enough to settle this, as we went to a shootout to end the loaded NHL slate on Thursday, and in the end, it was a save from Adin Hill on John Tavares that clinched the win for Vegas. With this result, Toronto's up-and-down start continues as they are now 2-2-1 on the season, and after a Cup Finals appearance a year ago, Vegas is now 4-1-0 and showing signs of another dominant campaign ahead.[/p]