NHL roundup: Kings claim first win as Celebrini leads Sharks’ OT comeback

The Los Angeles Kings finally got their first win of the season on Tuesday night, rallying from a two-goal deficit to defeat the Washington Capitals 5–2 in one of eight games across the NHL.

Elsewhere, Macklin Celebrini delivered a decisive overtime performance to lead the San Jose Sharks past the Montreal Canadiens, while the Dallas Stars and Edmonton Oilers also secured dramatic victories. Here is a look at the key results and standout performances from Tuesday’s action.

Kings 5–2 Capitals

The Los Angeles Kings ended their winless start in emphatic fashion, scoring five unanswered goals to overcome the Washington Capitals 5–2 despite being outshot 32–26.

After falling behind 2–0, Los Angeles found its rhythm and took control of the contest. Adrian Kempe scored twice to bring his season tally to three goals, while Artemi Panarin contributed a goal and two assists, taking his totals to four goals and two assists in the game.

Goaltender Darcy Kuemper also played a key role, recording his second 30-save performance of the season across his first five starts.

The victory moved the Kings to 1-4-2, making them the last team in the league to register a win this season. Washington, meanwhile, fell to 5-4-0.

Sharks 4–3 Canadiens (OT)

Macklin Celebrini delivered a standout performance, scoring both the opening and overtime-winning goals as the San Jose Sharks rallied to defeat the Montreal Canadiens 4–3.

San Jose faced a two-goal deficit after falling behind 3–1, but the Sharks refused to back down. Michael Misa scored his first goal of the season in the third period before Tyler Toffoli converted the game’s only power-play goal in regulation, with Celebrini earning an assist to force overtime.

Celebrini then completed the comeback in spectacular fashion, scoring a power-play goal in overtime to secure his fifth goal of the season and seal an important victory for San Jose.

Montreal’s top line of Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovský and Nick Suzuki accounted for all three of the Canadiens’ goals. The trio had combined for 13 of Montreal’s 25 goals this season, underlining their importance to the team’s offence.

The result moved the Sharks to 5-4-1, while the Canadiens slipped to 4-3-2.

Devils 4–3 Avalanche

The New Jersey Devils returned to winning ways after holding off a late rally from the Colorado Avalanche to secure a narrow 4–3 victory.

New Jersey appeared to have the game under control after building a 4–1 advantage deep into the third period. However, Colorado’s Artturi Lehkonen scored twice to bring the Avalanche within one goal and set up a tense finish.

Devils goaltender Jake Allen stood firm under pressure, finishing with 31 saves to preserve the lead and help his team close out the win.

New Jersey continued to generate plenty of offensive pressure, maintaining its streak of recording at least 30 shots on goal in every game through its first nine contests.

The Devils improved to 5-4-0, while Colorado suffered its second consecutive defeat, dropping to 5-4-1.

Islanders 3–2 Ducks

A late second-period power-play goal from Simon Holmström proved decisive as the New York Islanders edged the Anaheim Ducks 3–2.

Holmström’s fourth goal of the season gave New York the advantage it needed to see out the contest, with the Islanders delivering a disciplined defensive performance down the stretch.

Anaheim managed just 17 shots on goal, marking the first time this season the Islanders had held an opponent below the 20-shot mark.

The victory lifted New York to 5-3-1, while the Ducks’ struggles continued. Anaheim suffered its fourth consecutive defeat, falling to 4-5-0.

Maple Leafs 6–2 Blue Jackets

The Toronto Maple Leafs erupted offensively in the middle period to secure a convincing 6–2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Columbus initially responded after Kirill Marchenko scored a power-play goal to level the game at 1–1 heading into the second period. Toronto then took control, scoring four goals on just nine shots, with two of those strikes coming less than a minute apart.

Despite finishing the game with a substantial 37–22 advantage in shots on goal, Columbus struggled to turn its offensive pressure into meaningful results. The Blue Jackets outshot Toronto 14–3 in the third period, but their late push proved insufficient.

Auston Matthews continued his outstanding start to the campaign, recording a goal and an assist to take his season totals to eight goals and 10 assists through nine games.

Toronto improved to 5-4-2, winning consecutive games, while Columbus fell to 3-5-0 and remained at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings.

Blues 2–1 Jets

The St. Louis Blues returned to winning form with a hard-fought 2–1 victory over the Winnipeg Jets, relying on timely scoring and another strong performance from their goaltender.

Jimmy Snuggerud opened the scoring in the first period with his fifth goal of the season. Philip Broberg then delivered the decisive strike, converting on St. Louis’ fifth and final power play of the night to put the Blues ahead for good.

Goaltender Joel Hofer was instrumental in preserving the advantage, making 32 saves to record his second consecutive 30-plus-save performance.

The win lifted St. Louis to 4-4-1, while Winnipeg suffered its second straight defeat, slipping to 4-3-1.

Stars 3–2 Bruins (OT)

Mikko Rantanen produced a memorable performance, completing his 11th career hat trick with an overtime winner as the Dallas Stars defeated the Boston Bruins 3–2.

Rantanen scored the goal that forced overtime before striking again on a four-on-three power play to seal the victory. His decisive finish ended Boston’s league-leading five-game winning streak and handed the Bruins their third loss of the season.

Dallas, meanwhile, continued to build momentum. The Stars improved to 5-3-1, extending their winning streak to three games while outscoring their opponents 10–4 over that stretch.

The victory further strengthened Dallas’ early-season form, while Boston was left to regroup after seeing its impressive run come to an end.

Oilers 4–3 Wild (OT)

Connor McDavid continued to demonstrate why he remains one of the NHL’s most influential offensive players, recording three assists as the Edmonton Oilers defeated the Minnesota Wild 4–3 in overtime.

McDavid set up both of Leon Draisaitl’s power-play goals before assisting on Evan Bouchard’s overtime winner, helping Edmonton secure another valuable victory.

The Oilers improved to 7-1-1, maintaining one of the league’s strongest starts to the season and remaining the only team with fewer than two regulation losses.

For Minnesota, Kirill Kaprizov continued his impressive scoring campaign, finding the net for his 11th goal of the season to remain among the league’s leading goal scorers.

However, Kaprizov’s contribution was not enough to prevent the Wild from suffering an overtime defeat. Minnesota dropped to 6-2-2, while Edmonton celebrated another win in a season that has begun with considerable promise.

With comeback victories, overtime drama and standout individual performances across the league, Tuesday’s action provided another reminder of how quickly momentum can shift in the NHL. For the Kings, the night marked a long-awaited breakthrough; for Celebrini and the Sharks, it was another statement of their growing potential.