The NHL preseason wrapped up for most teams on Saturday with 14 games, and the NHL preseason scores from September 26 gave fans plenty to chew on three days before opening night. Connor McDavid scored as the Edmonton Oilers beat the Calgary Flames 4-1 to finish the preseason 4-0-0, Chris Kreider got his first goal in a Montreal Canadiens sweater, and Buffalo Sabres goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen left early in the third period of a 3-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Oilers finish perfect, Penguins win in Buffalo
At Rogers Place, Zach Hyman, McDavid, Ryan Shea and Kasperi Kapanen scored for Edmonton, with McDavid and Kapanen each adding an assist. Devon Levi made 23 saves and Matt Coronato scored the only Calgary goal.
In Buffalo, Sidney Crosby, Ville Koivunen and Nicholas Robertson scored for Pittsburgh and Arturs Silovs stopped 23 shots. Luukkonen made 15 saves before leaving with an injury, and Colten Ellis finished the game. It’s a worry for a Sabres side that ended the preseason 1-3-0 and was already short in goal.
Kreider scores as Canadiens and Senators split
Montreal and Ottawa played a split-squad doubleheader. At the Bell Centre, Kreider, Juraj Slafkovsky, Phillip Danault and Noah Dobson scored in a 4-2 Canadiens win. Kreider signed a one-year deal with Montreal on September 12. In Ottawa, William Eklund scored a power-play winner in overtime as the Senators won 4-3. Montreal still finished the preseason 4-1-0.
The rest of the NHL preseason scores
- Devils 4, Islanders 1: Luke Evangelista scored twice in his last tune-up since arriving from Nashville, and New Jersey finished 3-0-1.
- Sharks 4, Golden Knights 2: Macklin Celebrini and Mason Marchment each had a goal and an assist, and Michael Misa also scored.
- Canucks 4, Kraken 3: Jake DeBrusk had a goal and two assists for Vancouver’s first preseason win.
- Blue Jackets 4, Red Wings 2: Jet Greaves made 31 saves in Detroit.
- Blackhawks 3, Blues 2: Anton Frondell and Roman Kantserov scored and Spencer Knight made 29 saves.
- Hurricanes 6, Predators 0: six different Carolina scorers, including Nikolaj Ehlers and Andrei Svechnikov, with Brandon Bussi making 22 saves.
- Kings 6, Ducks 2: Alex Turcotte scored twice and 39-year-old Mats Zuccarello had three points.
- Capitals 5, Flyers 1: Charlie Lindgren made 32 saves and Washington finished 3-0-1.
- Mammoth 2, Avalanche 0: Jack McBain and Logan Cooley scored and Karel Vejmelka made 25 saves for the shutout.
- Lightning 3, Panthers 2 (shootout).
When does the NHL season start?
The 2026-27 regular season opens on Tuesday, September 29. The Carolina Hurricanes raise their Stanley Cup banner against the Florida Panthers at 5pm ET on ESPN, the Maple Leafs and Canadiens meet at 7pm ET on Sportsnet, the Rangers visit the Bruins at 8pm ET on ESPN, the Canucks visit the Oilers at 10pm ET on Sportsnet, and the Blackhawks visit the Golden Knights at 10:30pm ET on ESPN.
Catch up on Friday’s games in our September 25 NHL preseason roundup.
