Overview
- Toronto’s issues sharpened with 10 goals allowed in back-to-back home losses to Boston and Carolina, a power play down to about 17.1% and a league-high 260 giveaways, drawing Craig Berube’s criticism of turnovers and checking.
- Washington confirmed Pierre‑Luc Dubois had abdominal and adductor surgery and will miss roughly three months, as the Capitals generate strong five‑on‑five chances but struggle to finish and sit near the bottom in power‑play efficiency.
- Florida’s two-time champions are laboring through injuries to core pieces including Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk, with defensive breakdowns and subpar special teams cited in their early-season slump.
- Momentum is building elsewhere: the Bruins have won six straight, Colorado leads the league behind Nathan MacKinnon’s nine-point weekend, and Anaheim’s Leo Carlsson has fueled a seven-game Ducks win streak ahead of their meeting with the Avalanche.
- Pittsburgh heads to Sweden for two games against Nashville and then a home stretch viewed as an opportunity to bank points after letting several leads slip last week.