Connor Hellebuyck is out for the Jets’ season opener against the Bruins as he’s currently suspended by the organization. After going public with his trade request from Winnipeg, Hellebuyck didn’t report to training camp ahead of the 2026-27 NHL campaign. As a result, the Jets responded with a suspension, which remains in place and only adds fuel to a smoking fire inside the organization.

“The Winnipeg Jets announced they have suspended goaltender Connor Hellebuyck for failure to report to training camp,” the Jets’ public relations (PR) account reported back on Sept. 16 on X. There hasn’t been a new announcement on Hellebuyck’s status since.

Hellebuyck’s contract situation

Things have turned ugly between Hellebuyck and the Jets, with neither side giving the other an inch. Signed to a seven-year, $59.5 million ($8.5 million AAV) extension, Hellebuyck has five years left on his contract in Winnipeg.

As many similarities as there are between Hellebuyck’s and Dylan Larkin’s trade requests, reports state the three-time Vezina Trophy winner doesn’t plan to exploit his full no-movement clause (NMC) as Larkin has.

Instead, Hellebuyck simply wants to leave Winnipeg—reportedly hoping to head out of Canada and back to the USA. Most importantly, Hellebuyck hopes to play as soon as possible. And that’s exactly where the Jets’ leverage is.

Hellebuyck, Jets remain in standoff

Goalies are creatures of habit, and being sidelined with no injury doesn’t do Hellebuyck any good. The Jets know that and are keeping him away from the lineup for that purpose, to tire him out—all in the name of accountability and protecting the rest of the team from being distracted.

It’s unclear what the future will bring for Hellebuyck and the Jets, but it’s clear that as long as he remains under contract while suspended and not playing in the 2026-27 NHL season, what little is left of their relationship will only be shredded to pieces.

Key takeaways

• Connor Hellebuyck is suspended for failing to report to Winnipeg’s training camp.
• He signed a seven-year, $59.5 million contract extension with five years remaining.
• The goaltender is hoping to leave Winnipeg and return to the USA.

Charlie McAvoy is not playing against the Jets because he is serving a six-game suspension to start the 2026-27 NHL regular season. McAvoy got the suspension because of a two-handed slash on Buffalo Sabres forward Zach Benson.

The action happened last season, in Game 6 of the First Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs on May 1, 2026. Given how that ended the Bruins’ season, McAvoy is just starting to serve his suspension now.

Why did McAvoy slashed Benson?

The Boston Bruins defenseman slashed Zach Benson in retaliation for being tripped and slew-footed into the boards during the final minutes of Game 6 in their playoff series.

McAvoy was quick to get on his feet and skated towards Benson at full force and proceded to slash him right in front of the referee. There was 1:31 remaining in the third period and the Sabres were leading 4-1. It was an all-time moment of frustration.

When will McAvoy return?

McAvoy won’t play against the Jets, but he still needs to serve five more games after that to be fully free of ban. Hence, his eligible return date is October 13, 2026, when the Bruins face the San Jose Sharks.

Key takeaways

• Charlie McAvoy is serving a six-game suspension to begin the 2026-27 season.
• The defenseman slashed Zach Benson in retaliation after being tripped and slew-footed.
• McAvoy is eligible to return October 13, 2026, against San Jose.

In every NHL locker room, different personalities coexist. That also means there are different ways players and coaches react to losses. Even captains and managers may approach losses differently. While J.T. Miller avoided overreacting after the loss to the Bruins, Sullivan didn’t necessarily overreact, but he did call out errors and put the Rangers on the spot.

“We turned pucks over in the wrong areas of the rink,” Sullivan said after the game, via Mollie Walker of the New York Post. “I thought we were trying to play a little bit too much east-west, instead of simplifying, and playing straight ahead.

“We were standing on pucks instead of moving our feet. When you stand on pucks, the world closes in on you out there. We try to encourage the guys to move our feet. I think that’s a discipline that we’ve got to develop.”

Rangers’ giveaways lead to goals

It was a common trend all night long. The Rangers managed to survive until late in the third period, but eventually, repeatedly shooting themselves in the foot led to disaster. In fact, both of the goals the Bruins scored past Igor Shesterkin (the third goal was on an empty net) came off turnovers by the Rangers in the neutral zone.

Fraser Minten broke the deadlock with 3:46 left in regulation. That play started with a turnover in the neutral zone. Defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov lifted a puck out of the D-zone and into center ice, but it was intercepted, leading to a fast break for Minten, who shot from a distance to beat Shesterkin on the blocker side.

Less than a minute later, Mika Zibanejad turned over the puck at the end of his shift in the neutral zone again. J.J. Peterka embarrassed Braden Schneider with a nifty move, and he beat Shesterkin five-hole. That was all she wrote for the Rangers. Not only did their reckless puck management cost them, but it was their top forward and top-pair defenseman who were responsible for the errors.

The decisive factor

Otherwise, the game had been evenly matched in every aspect. New York finished the night with 24 shots against Boston’s 23. Both sides committed only one minor penalty and went scoreless on their lone power-play attempts. Faceoff wins were split evenly, 50-50, both had four takeaways each, and New York had just a handful fewer blocked shots than Boston.

The main difference aside from the scoreboard? The Rangers gave away the puck 20 times, while the Bruins had only 10 giveaways. That, in turn, explains the 3-0 difference in the final score.

Key takeaways

• Mike Sullivan criticized the NY Rangers for turning over the puck after a 3-0 loss.
• Fraser Minten broke the deadlock with 3:46 left in regulation.
• The Rangers committed 20 giveaways compared to just 10 by the Bruins.

Even though head coach Mike Sullivan defended the Rangers’ lines to face the Bruins, his plan didn’t work. The Rangers couldn’t get anything going all night long, and goalie Jeremy Swayman—who won the gold medal at the 2026 Olympics alongside J.T. Miller and Mike Sullivan—managed to stop all 24 shots the Blueshirts put on net.

It was a disappointing performance for the Blueshirts to start the year on. However, Miller is looking at the silver lining, and he believes the team will only go up from here.

“It’s Game 1. If we had won the game I would be saying the same thing,” Miller stated, via NHL.com. “We’re going to get better as we go here. We did some good things tonight as a team that we can build off of, but we just gave up a little too much easy offense for the other team. And if you give them enough, they’re going to capitalize at some point.”

NY Rangers suffer another shutout loss in opener

Indeed, starting with a shutout loss means there may not be much lower to go, but New York should learn from last season’s lesson. Just because the Rangers can’t dig themselves any lower doesn’t mean they will necessarily climb upward. In fact, New York also lost 3-0 in its 2025-26 NHL season opener, and everybody in Manhattan has a fresh memory of how that story played out for the Blueshirts.

Last season, it took the Rangers four games to score a single goal on home ice. It wouldn’t be until mid-November that they actually won a game at Madison Square Garden.

NY Rangers must turn the tide

Needless to say, neither Miller nor Sullivan nor any Ranger will want to relive those traumas, not after everything they’ve been through in the last 12 months. Still, it will take much more than words to turn the team’s situation around.

Fans in The Big Apple have already grown sick and tired of that gimmick. In fact, it’s a big reason why many resist Miller’s captaincy, as he is often more notable postgame than on the ice.

The opener to the 2026-27 NHL season, in more ways than one, is identical to that of 2025-26. The Rangers were blanked and fans braced for another long season while Miller took some of the weight off the loss with a statement that does little to quiet the noise around town. This time around, however, New York is under more pressure to deliver, and thus the consequences might be harsher for everyone involved.

Key takeaways

• J.T. Miller urged calm, stating the team will get better as they go.
• The NY Rangers opened their season with a 3-0 loss to the Boston Bruins.
• Goalie Jeremy Swayman stopped all 24 shots to secure the shutout victory.

Although it was likely forgotten by several fans during the dog days of summer, McAvoy’s suspension has been a long time coming and Boston knew it would be without its best blueliner to start the 2026-27 NHL season.

After being scheduled for an in-person hearing at the NHL’s offices in New York City, McAvoy received a six-game suspension for slashing Buffalo Sabres forward Zach Benson during last season’s Stanley Cup Playoffs. As a result of McAvoy’s third-career suspension, the blueliner will miss the first six games of the 2026-27 NHL season, including opening night at TD Garden against the Rangers.

Why was McAvoy suspended?

Down 4-1 in an elimination Game 6 against the Sabres in the First Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, McAvoy lost his cool. After chasing a puck down the ice side by side with Benson, the forward made McAvoy trip up and fall near the boards. The Bruins’ blueliner immediately retaliated with a vicious slash over his head that hit Benson in the arm but could’ve been even worse.

McAvoy was assessed a major penalty for slashing along with a game misconduct. That wasn’t the end of it, as McAvoy was scheduled for an in-person hearing, which revealed the suspension would be at least five games. In the end, McAvoy received the minimum suspension length for players with in-person hearings (six games).

Because the Bruins were eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs in Game 6 against the Sabres, McAvoy has to serve his suspension to start the regular season.

When will McAvoy return?

McAvoy is healthy and available to play as soon as the suspension is served, so the Bruins should have him back on the ice by Oct. 14, when they face off against the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center at San Jose.

Who is replacing McAvoy?

With McAvoy suspended and away from the ice to start the regular campaign, Will Borgen (the former New York Rangers’ blueliner) will play on the top defensive pairing alongside Hampus Lindholm.

Key takeaways

• Charlie McAvoy received a six-game suspension for slashing Sabres forward Zach Benson.
• The defenseman will return Oct. 14 when Boston faces the San Jose Sharks.
• Will Borgen will play top-pairing defense alongside Hampus Lindholm during the absence.

In case Sullivan forgot, he was reminded right away—before the Broadway Blueshirts even took to the ice. As the Rangers‘ forward lines and defensive pairings were reported for opening night against the Boston Bruins, it didn’t take long for fans to share their opinions and debate whether the lineup was correctly assembled.

Sullivan should consider himself lucky the Rangers got away with their risky waivers decision on Dylan Garand; otherwise, the buzz would be even louder. Ahead of the away game against the Bruins, Sullivan made an honest statement, standing by his players and easing some of the pressure off them by reassuring them they will not be on a short leash, at least not to start the season.

“Part of the reason we left [the lineup] that way is because we liked what we saw. So we didn’t feel the need to try to change for the sake of change,” Sullivan admitted before the Rangers’ season opener, via Mollie Walker of the New York Post. “At the end of the day, we don’t think at this point there was a need to try to explore other options. We want to se what we have, and then we’ll evaluate accordingly.“

Fans aren’t convinced about the lineup

Virtually every fan in New York was excited to learn that fifth overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, Alberts Smits, will make his pro debut when the Rangers take on the Bruins at TD Garden. However, that was about as far as unanimous opinions went among the fanbase.

Sticking with Smits, not many liked the decision to pair him with Braden Schneider, who is in a contract year and coming off trade rumors over the offseason, on the third D-man pairing. “Poor Smits,” a fan replied to Walker’s report on the team’s lines for the season debut. “I don’t like Smits with Schneider,” another fan wrote.

Sullivan addresses potential lineup changes

Clearly, fans have their doubts about Sullivan’s lineup decision to start the season, but they must first watch the team play before making up their minds. If things turn south, Sullivan made it clear he is open to adjusting, but will also give the lines and pairings time to build chemistry. Otherwise, New York would be shooting itself in the foot.

“There’s always a fine line between allowing groups to build some chemistry, allow them to play through some of the early challenges, and whether or not you think you need to affect some change. I think every circumstance is unique,” Sullivan stated.

“I think it’s more about a coach’s intuition and a coaching staff’s intuition. We’ll evaluate after every game, we’ll evaluate after every day, and we’ll try to make the best decisions for the team.”

NY Rangers’ opening-night lineup

Key takeaways

• Mike Sullivan stood by his lineup for the Rangers’ opener against Boston.
• Alberts Smits will make his pro debut on New York’s third D-pairing.
• Sullivan expressed openness to adjusting lines if the team needs future changes.

“Boston’s Charlie McAvoy has been suspended for six regular season games for slashing Buffalo’s Zach Benson,” the NHL’s Department of Player Safety stated on its social media, @NHLPlayerSafety.

Charlie McAvoy’s suspension—the third of his NHL career—was handed down because of his aggressive slash on Zach Benson during Game 6 of the Eastern Conference first-round matchup in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

McAvoy is handed minimum suspension

Because he was scheduled for an in-person hearing, McAvoy and the Spoked B knew the defenseman would be suspended for at least six games. “If the Department of Player Safety determines that any Supplemental Discipline from an infraction will result in five games or less, the hearing is conducted by phone,” the NHL states on its official website, NHL.com.

It has been confirmed that McAvoy will serve no more and no fewer than a six-game suspension. All things considered, McAvoy may have gotten off lightly for slashing Benson. In an 82-game season, a six-game absence is hardly noticeable. Considering the 2026-27 campaign will be the NHL’s first 84-game season under the new CBA, McAvoy’s suspension will carry an even smaller proportional impact.

McAvoy’s suspension history

Although the American defenseman is no stranger to suspensions, this will mark the longest time he has been sidelined without pay for his actions on the ice. In the past, McAvoy served a four-game suspension during the 2023-24 NHL season and a one-game suspension in the 2018-19 campaign. Both incidents stemmed from illegal checks to the head.

Although the Department of Player Safety hasn’t imposed any fines on McAvoy, the blueliner will lose his game salary for every matchup he misses because of the suspension. One way or another, the punishment will also impact McAvoy financially. The defenseman has never played a full season in his career, and the 2026-27 campaign will not be an exception.

The fact that McAvoy’s hearing with the NHL‘s Department of Player Safety will be conducted in person is not anecdotal. In fact, it changes everything. “If the Department of Player Safety determines that any Supplemental Discipline from an infraction will result in five games or less, the hearing is conducted by phone,” as stated on NHL.com.

Considering the aggressiveness of McAvoy’s slash on Benson in the dying minutes of Game 6 of the first round, and the fact that McAvoy will have to show up at the league’s office in New York City, it’s safe to assume McAvoy will be suspended for more than five games. That suspension will be served to start the 2026–27 NHL regular season.

Official details of McAvoy’s hearing

On May 2, the NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced it had offered an in-person hearing to McAvoy. Two days later, the details of that meeting have been confirmed by the league.

“Boston’s Charlie McAvoy will have an in-person hearing on Monday, May 11th at the NHL’s office in New York City for slashing Buffalo’s Zach Benson,” the announcement read, via @NHLPlayerSafety on X.

Before making any plans for the summer, McAvoy will make an offseason visit to the Big Apple. As he shows up at the NHL’s offices in Hudson Yards, just blocks away from Madison Square Garden, the Spoked B’s top blueliner is expected to walk out of the building with a suspension. Exactly how long is uncertain, but it will be at least six games.

McAvoy set for his third suspension

“Just out of respect for the process, I’m probably not going to comment anything on it until I can have the chance to speak with them,” McAvoy answered a question on the in-person hearing during his end-of-season availability, via WEEI Sports.

McAvoy is now on track for the third suspension of his NHL career. The latest came during the 2023–24 campaign, when he was suspended without pay for four games for an illegal check to the head of Florida Panthers defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson.

The star blueliner was also suspended one game for an illegal check to the head of Josh Anderson of the Columbus Blue Jackets. This time around, McAvoy is set for an even longer—as well as more expensive—suspension.

“Boston’s Nikita Zadorov has been fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for cross-checking Buffalo’s Rasmus Dahlin,” the NHL‘s Department of Player Safety announced on its social media, @NHLPlayerSafety.

The Bruins are truly up against the ropes. Down 3–1 in the series and set to go back to KeyBank Center in Buffalo, where the home fans will turn the barn into mayhem. Zadorov has been handed no suspension, though, and the Spoked B will hope to turn things around before it’s too late.

Something has got to change for Boston, and that was made clear after Marco Sturm ripped the Bruins apart following the 6–1 defeat against the Sabres.

Zadorov has been a penalty machine

Drafted by the Sabres with a first-round pick in 2013, Zadorov clearly had no love for his former NHL club in the first-round matchup of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. So far in the postseason, Zadorov has recorded 37 penalty minutes (PIM).

That’s already a postseason career high for the Russian blueliner, who is coming off another career high in PIM during the 2025–26 regular season (152 penalty minutes). In Games 2 and 4, Zadorov missed 16 and 17 minutes, respectively, due to penalties.

Bruins could punish Zadorov

In addition to the news of the $5,000 fine from the NHL, Sturm and the Bruins may be handing down a punishment of their own to Zadorov. According to reporter Bridgette Proulx, Zadorov was absent from the team’s practice on Monday, as was Viktor Arvidsson. The latter had left Game 4 with an injury, but Zadorov showed no signs of being hurt.

Thus, considering he’s been a liability on the ice, it may all indicate Zadorov may serve as a healthy scratch as Boston faces elimination in Game 5. The Sabres are indeed scoreless on the power play so far, but it’s only a matter of time before they break the drought. If Zadorov continues to gift Buffalo man-advantage opportunities, it could well be sooner rather than later.

Nothing could’ve gone worse for Boston in Game 4 of the first-round series against Buffalo. It was as if the Bruins never made it out of the locker room in the first period, and the Sabres ran circles around them. Swayman was left out to dry by his teammates, and the 4–0 lead at the first intermission meant it was over just one period into the game. There was nothing Swayman could do as he was under siege all afternoon.

Sturm decided to end his goalie’s night after the Sabres scored their sixth of the day. As he left the ice and headed down the tunnel, Swayman had words for his bench, and they weren’t the nicest ones. Sturm didn’t beat around the bush after the game as his team is now on the brink of elimination in the 2025-26 NHL campaign.

“At least one guy [had some fire today],” Sturm stated during his postgame media availability, per reporter Bridgette Proulx. “It was not his fault today, I can tell you that. I felt bad for him. That’s why we kept him in there for a while, because he’s a battler, he wants to be in.”

Bruins take the fall for pathetic effort in Game 4

The Sabres barely had any opposition all game long. They blew the Bruins out of the water en route to their biggest postseason victory since the 2006 Stanley Cup Playoffs. As the Bruins were embarrassed to look themselves in the eye after the game, the leaders in the locker room bit the bullet.

“If we’re not (expletive) embarrassed with what just happened, then I don’t know what to say,” Charlie McAvoy admitted. “Wasted opportunity. Unacceptable. To show up like that in the first period is unacceptable,” David Pastrnak noted. “It starts with me. It starts with the leaders on the ice,” Sturm concluded.

Bruins’ playoff ghosts are back

If it hadn’t been for Sean Kuraly’s late goal to spoil Alex Lyon’s shutout and make it 6–1, the Bruins would have gone almost 100 minutes (97:34) without scoring a goal against the Sabres. Sturm’s comments about how Boston was stronger and bigger than Buffalo are aging poorly, and there have been no signs of such superiority as the first-round series has been played in Beantown.

Boston is 3–10 in its last 13 playoff games (since the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs). Far from a fortress, TD Garden has become a haunted house for the Spoked B. However, it hasn’t been that way for the Boston Celtics, who are 17–11 at home in the playoffs since 2023, and they call TD Garden home as well. Clearly, it has nothing to do with the venue itself, and everything lies in the hands of the Bruins organization.

Boston faces elimination

The margin for error is now razor thin for Sturm and the Bruins. Making it to the Stanley Cup Playoffs in the 2025–26 NHL season was quite an accomplishment not many saw coming, and Sturm proved he can lead this team.

However, such a deflating series against the Sabres could actually set the Spoked B back. Boston has its back against the wall, and if the Bruins don’t show their claws now, it will be too late. Perhaps it already is.

“Yeah well, you heard [Sturm] said they’re bigger and more physical, so yeah, for sure. I’m a little worried,“ Ruff stated during his postgame press conference after Boston defeated Buffalo in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs’ first round.

Ruff’s comment was a clear dig at Sturm’s message prior to Game 1. Not only did the Bruins put the Sabres on notice with a comment on how Boston’s squad is bigger and stronger, but Sturm doubled down on his warning to Buffalo. His words didn’t fall on deaf ears, and Ruff has now fired back.

Ruff has always been vocal

Buffalo’s head coach has never been one to mince words or sugarcoat his honest thoughts. After Game 1, Ruff pushed back on the narrative surrounding the Sabres and their lack of playoff experience in the NHL. Following Game 2—although Buffalo fell by a score of 4–2—Ruff didn’t shy away from the spotlight.

This series is shaping up to be a candid one, and the head coaches are setting the tone for their players. If the bench bosses are going at it, why wouldn’t the players on the ice follow suit? It’s been a chippy series so far, but fans can expect the vitriol to rise even further in the upcoming bouts.

Recap of Sabres vs Bruins series so far

Through the opening two games of the series, both teams have shown their hands. Boston has dominated most of the action in both outings and jumped out to multi-goal leads. However, Buffalo has proven it can come to life in the third period and completely turn the tables. The Sabres know they must play a full 60-minute game. Still, a late surge in Game 1 was enough for them to win their first Stanley Cup Playoff game in 15 years.

For the Bruins, such rapid comebacks served as a learning moment. Thus, when the Sabres cut a 4–0 deficit in half late in the final frame of Game 2, goalie Jeremy Swayman signaled for Sturm to call a timeout. Boston knew better than to relive its ghosts from the past in the City of Good Neighbors. In the end, it came away with a crucial 4–2 win.

The series now heads to the Hub for Games 3 and 4, which will be decisive. In their upcoming visit to the Walking City of America, the Sabres must walk away with at least one road victory, or the series might be over before it returns to Niagara Falls for Game 5.

Series schedule

• Game 3: Sabres at Bruins (Apr. 23)
• Game 4: Sabres at Bruins (Apr. 26)
• Game 5: Bruins at Sabres (Apr. 28)
• Game 6: Sabres at Bruins (May 1) *If necessary
• Game 7: Bruins at Sabres (May 3) *If necessary