NEW YORK, United States, September 22, 2026: Bowen Byram needed one night with the Chicago Blackhawks to turn a major offseason investment into something tangible. Cole Caufield needed overtime again. Stuart Skinner introduced himself to Winnipeg with 31 saves, Casey DeSmith stopped 30 for Dallas, Jack Hughes supplied the decisive moment for New Jersey, and Washington found another forward making it increasingly difficult to dismiss his roster case.
Eight NHL preseason games were played Monday night, producing five regulation wins, two overtime decisions and one scoreless game that went all the way to a shootout.
The results mattered less than what happened underneath them.
This compressed preseason is rapidly becoming an exercise in role allocation. New signings are being placed beside established stars. Goaltenders have only a limited number of appearances to establish where they belong. Prospects are receiving meaningful situations immediately. Veterans who already own jobs are trying to reach regular-season speed without absorbing unnecessary risk.
That pattern has developed across the first three days of exhibition hockey. The Sports Encounter’s opening-night report showed Montreal’s depth, Edmonton’s established stars and Seattle’s young players setting the first markers. A day later, our second NHL preseason analysis followed Brady Tkachuk’s immediate impact in Florida and Beckett Sennecke’s hat trick for Anaheim.
Monday provided the next layer.
The official NHL preseason roundup confirmed seven of the night’s eight games, while the league’s separate Hockeyville coverage documented Montreal’s overtime victory over Ottawa.
NHL Preseason Results for September 21, 2026
| Game | Result | Defining Story |
|---|---|---|
| Ottawa Senators at Montreal Canadiens | Canadiens 3-2 OT | Cole Caufield scores twice and wins another game in overtime |
| Detroit Red Wings at Columbus Blue Jackets | Blue Jackets 1-0 SO | Jet Greaves and Pheonix Copley combine for the shutout |
| Buffalo Sabres at Pittsburgh Penguins | Penguins 4-1 | Bryan Rust produces three points |
| New York Rangers at New Jersey Devils | Devils 3-2 | Jack Hughes scores the late winner |
| Philadelphia Flyers at Washington Capitals | Capitals 5-2 | Jonny Brodzinski scores twice and Ryan Chesley records three assists |
| Minnesota Wild at Chicago Blackhawks | Blackhawks 4-3 OT | Bowen Byram completes a hat trick 29 seconds into overtime |
| St. Louis Blues at Dallas Stars | Stars 2-1 | Casey DeSmith makes 30 saves |
| Colorado Avalanche at Winnipeg Jets | Jets 3-1 | Stuart Skinner makes 31 saves in his Winnipeg debut |
Bowen Byram’s Chicago Debut Was More Than a Preseason Hat Trick
The most spectacular individual performance belonged to a defenseman playing his first game for a new team.
Byram scored three times as Chicago beat Minnesota 4-3 in overtime, completing the hat trick only 29 seconds into the extra period.
His first goal came from the slot in the second period. His second arrived 24 seconds into the third, when a pass intended for Roman Kantserov deflected off Minnesota defenseman Daemon Hunt and into the net.
Then Minnesota recovered.
Maxim Shabanov cut Chicago’s lead to 3-2 before Bobby Brink scored his second goal of the night to force overtime.
Byram finished it himself.
Chicago did not acquire him to become a three-goal defenseman every night. That would be an absurd standard. The value of the performance lies elsewhere.
The Blackhawks acquired Byram from Buffalo during the offseason and committed six years and $75 million to him. That is a major investment in a defenseman expected to play significant minutes during the same period in which Chicago is trying to move from rebuilding toward competing.
Monday showed immediately what Byram can add when he is willing to activate offensively rather than simply move the puck from behind the play.
That matters for a team whose wider direction changed this month when Chicago formally gave Connor Bedard the captaincy. TSE examined what that decision means in our analysis of Bedard becoming the Blackhawks’ new captain.
Chicago needs more than Bedard to make the next phase work.
Byram becoming an assertive two-way presence would give the Blackhawks another player capable of changing the geometry of a game rather than simply surviving it.
Cole Caufield Is Already Treating Overtime Like His Territory
Caufield has played two preseason games.
He has ended both of them.
Two nights after scoring with 38 seconds remaining in overtime against Toronto, Caufield produced another extra-time winner as Montreal defeated Ottawa 3-2 at the Kraft Hockeyville game in Trois-Rivières.
This time he scored twice.
Montreal entered the third period trailing 2-1 after William Eklund and Dylan Cozens scored for Ottawa.
Caufield tied the game on the power play at 11:59 following a give-and-go with Lane Hutson. At 3:19 of overtime, Hutson helped create the winner again.
The NHL’s official Hockeyville game report confirmed Caufield’s two goals and Samuel Ersson’s 34-save performance for Ottawa.
The useful takeaway is not that Caufield is suddenly clutch because he scored two preseason overtime winners. His finishing ability was already established.
The more relevant development is how quickly Montreal’s offensive relationships are functioning.
Caufield and Hutson have now combined in important situations more than once. The Canadiens are also receiving useful early production from players deeper in the lineup.
Montreal swept Toronto’s split squads on the first night and has continued winning since.
Preseason wins disappear the moment the regular season starts. Repeated chemistry does not.
Ottawa Lost, but William Eklund and Samuel Ersson Gave the Senators Useful Evidence
Ottawa’s first preseason game arrived with a roster carrying major offseason change.
Eklund scored only 1:29 into his Senators debut after arriving from San Jose. Cozens added a goal and an assist. Ersson stopped 34 shots.
That performance is worth separating from the result.
Ottawa could not protect a third-period lead and eventually lost in overtime, but several players being integrated into new roles immediately contributed.
For a team trying to redefine itself after substantial personnel movement, that information matters more than whether the preseason standings show a win or a loss.
Stuart Skinner Made Winnipeg’s Goaltending Conversation More Interesting
Winnipeg needed only one preseason appearance from Skinner to receive exactly the kind of performance teams want from a newly signed goaltender.
He stopped 31 shots in a 3-1 victory over Colorado.
Gabriel Vilardi produced a goal and an assist. Josh Morrissey recorded two assists. Cole Perfetti scored in the second period, while Dylan DeMelo added Winnipeg’s third goal.
Colorado did not score until Georgii Merkulov beat Skinner late in the third.
Skinner signed a two-year, $7.5 million contract with Winnipeg in July.
Goaltending evaluations during preseason require caution. Lineups are uneven, teams are experimenting with combinations, and defensive structures are not always fully established.
Still, 31 saves in a debut provide something a coaching staff can use.
Skinner looked comfortable with volume, protected the lead once Winnipeg established it and gave his new team a first positive reference point.
The Sports Encounter has already seen how rapidly one goaltending decision can change a franchise’s outlook. Our wider 2026-27 NHL season curtain-raiser identified goaltending depth as one of the variables capable of reshaping an 84-game campaign.
Columbus and Detroit Produced the Night’s Purest Goaltending Test
No goals were scored in 65 minutes between Detroit and Columbus.
That made the goaltenders the entire story.
Jet Greaves stopped all 16 shots he faced for Columbus before Pheonix Copley entered for the third period, stopped two more and then denied all three Detroit attempts in the shootout.
Conor Garland supplied the only successful shootout attempt.
Detroit received equally strong work at the other end. Daniil Tarasov made 15 saves during the opening two periods before Michal Postava stopped all 10 shots he saw in the third.
The final score was officially 1-0 because Columbus won the shootout, but there was no regulation or overtime goal.
For Greaves in particular, the performance adds another useful layer to a career TSE has already followed. Our analysis of Columbus’ long-term investment in Greaves examined why the Blue Jackets chose stability at one of hockey’s least predictable positions.
Monday did not settle the future.
It did reinforce why Columbus was comfortable making that commitment.
Casey DeSmith Gave Dallas Another Low-Scoring Win Over St. Louis
Dallas has beaten St. Louis 2-1 twice during this preseason.
The scores are identical.
The more meaningful part of Monday’s second meeting was DeSmith’s workload.
He made 30 saves while Thomas Harley and Nils Lundkvist scored for Dallas.
Jonatan Berggren cut the deficit to one late in the third, but the Stars protected the advantage.
St. Louis also used the game to introduce Mason McTavish after acquiring him from Anaheim during the offseason. He recorded three shots in 14:48.
The Stars did not produce much offensive separation, but preseason hockey is particularly valuable for teams assessing whether a goaltender can maintain structure through long stretches without a large scoring cushion.
DeSmith did exactly that.
Jack Hughes Needed One Opening and the Rangers Paid for It
New Jersey and the Rangers were tied 2-2 with fewer than three minutes remaining when Hughes created the decisive play.
He carried the puck through the right circle, reached the goal line and jammed it into the net with 2:12 left.
That was enough for a 3-2 Devils victory.
Timo Meier produced a goal and an assist, while Nico Hischier also scored.
The Devils additionally used the game to introduce two significant offseason additions. Anthony Mantha made his New Jersey debut, while Luke Evangelista recorded an assist in his first appearance for the club.
The Rangers received goals from Anton Blidh and Drew Fortescue, with Dylan Garand stopping 28 shots.
New York also lost forward Adam Sykora to a lower-body injury during the first period after a hit in the corner. He did not return.
The result offers another early look at two Metropolitan Division teams whose offseason strategies were already moving in different directions. TSE explored that contrast in our analysis of the Rangers’ Eeli Tolvanen move and New Jersey’s Evangelista acquisition.
Evangelista registering an assist immediately does not validate an entire transaction.
It does give New Jersey an early indication that he can begin connecting with the structure already around Hughes, Hischier and Meier.
Washington’s Depth Competition Is Getting More Serious
Jonny Brodzinski scored again.
Then he scored once more.
The 33-year-old forward finished with two goals in Washington’s 5-2 victory over Philadelphia after also scoring against Boston the previous night.
Dylan Strome recorded a goal and an assist. Aliaksei Protas and Ryan Leonard scored. Defenseman Ryan Chesley collected three assists.
The Capitals therefore received production from almost every part of the lineup they wanted to evaluate.
That becomes more relevant because Alex Ovechkin is currently dealing with a lower-body injury.
The NHL’s latest official status report lists Ovechkin as day to day and notes that he may not appear at all during the preseason.
There is no reason for Washington to expose a 41-year-old cornerstone to unnecessary exhibition risk merely to accumulate preseason minutes.
His absence does, however, distribute opportunity.
Brodzinski is taking his.
Ryan Leonard’s Goal Matters Because Washington Has Already Chosen His Future
Leonard’s first-period goal deserves more attention than an ordinary preseason score.
Washington signed the young forward to an eight-year, $84 million contract on September 15.
That commitment changes how his preseason should be interpreted.
He is no longer simply a promising young player trying to establish whether he belongs.
Washington has already decided he belongs at the center of its future.
The remaining question is how quickly his production, responsibility and chemistry can grow into the scale of the contract.
A preseason goal does not answer that.
It is still a useful beginning.
Bryan Rust Looked Ready While Pittsburgh’s Goaltenders Controlled Buffalo
Pittsburgh opened its preseason with a 4-1 victory over Buffalo.
Rust was involved in three goals, scoring once and assisting twice.
Connor Dewar contributed a goal and an assist. Avery Hayes scored with two seconds remaining in the second period, turning what had briefly become a 2-1 contest into a two-goal Pittsburgh advantage.
Elmer Soderblom completed the scoring into an empty net.
The more encouraging element may have been the goaltending.
Sergei Murashov stopped all 13 shots he faced before Joel Blomqvist took over midway through the second period. Buffalo scored only once on Blomqvist.
Pittsburgh enters the season carrying an unusual combination of established icons and long-term transition. The franchise still revolves emotionally around Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, while management continues trying to establish what comes after them.
Preseason games are where those timelines briefly overlap.
Rust looking ready matters for the present.
Murashov and Blomqvist getting meaningful evaluation time matters for what comes next.
Why Monday’s NHL Games Were Really About New Players
Look across the eight games and one pattern keeps returning.
Byram scored three times in his Chicago debut.
Skinner stopped 31 shots in his first appearance for Winnipeg.
Eklund scored in his Ottawa debut.
Evangelista contributed an assist in his first Devils game.
McTavish made his first appearance for St. Louis.
Tarasov began his Detroit tenure with two scoreless periods.
Those performances do not guarantee regular-season success.
They do show why preseason matters even when the final scores do not survive into October.
Coaches need to know where new pieces fit.
A free-agent signing can look good on paper and still require weeks to establish timing with a new defense pair. A traded forward can bring obvious talent and still struggle to read a new forecheck. A goaltender can arrive with a strong résumé and still need time to understand how his new defense protects the slot.
Monday shortened some of those learning curves.
Caufield, Hughes and Rust Also Showed Why Established Stars Still Need Preseason
The young players and new arrivals receive most of the evaluation attention.
Established players have a different objective.
They are trying to reach regular-season rhythm without treating exhibition hockey as if the Stanley Cup is on the line.
Caufield has already scored two overtime winners.
Hughes decided a rivalry game late.
Rust produced three points.
Vilardi finished with a goal and an assist.
Meier did the same.
None of those players needed Monday to prove they belonged in the NHL.
They needed useful repetitions.
That distinction matters because the 2026-27 season is unusually demanding. Every club will play 84 games, up from 82, under the format outlined in TSE’s complete season preview.
There is little value in winning September at the cost of arriving damaged in October.
What Does Monday Tell Us About the Blackhawks?
Chicago may have produced the night’s most useful result.
The Blackhawks already know Bedard is the foundation of the next era.
What they need are enough players around him to prevent the entire project from depending on one superstar.
Byram’s debut suggested the blue line may contain another legitimate offensive driver.
Nick Lardis also recorded a goal and an assist.
That combination matters because Chicago’s next step will not be measured merely by Bedard’s point total. It will be measured by how many other players can assume responsibility when opponents design entire game plans around stopping him.
The organization has already connected its past and future in other ways, including Patrick Kane’s return, a development TSE examined alongside the Blue Jackets’ Greaves deal in our look at two franchises searching for different forms of stability.
Byram represents another part of the same question.
How quickly can Chicago turn pieces into a team?
What Does Monday Tell Us About Montreal?
The Canadiens have looked comfortable in close games.
That is more useful than simply saying they are winning preseason games.
Montreal beat Toronto in overtime on Saturday.
Two nights later, Ottawa carried a lead into the third period and still could not close the game.
Caufield tied it.
Caufield won it.
Hutson helped create both goals.
That is the type of repeatable relationship coaches pay attention to because it may survive when exhibition lineups disappear.
The Canadiens will soon get a much more meaningful test. Their regular season begins against Toronto on September 29, one of the headline matchups in TSE’s broader NHL coverage.
The Goaltending Performances May Matter More Than the Goals
Monday’s most obvious highlight was Byram’s hat trick.
The quieter pattern came in net.
Skinner made 31 saves.
DeSmith made 30.
Greaves stopped everything he faced.
Copley finished the shutout and then went perfect in the shootout.
Tarasov and Postava kept Columbus scoreless through regulation and overtime from Detroit’s side.
Murashov did not allow a goal for Pittsburgh.
Ersson stopped 34 shots despite Ottawa losing.
Preseason goaltending numbers can be misleading because the quality of lineups changes dramatically from night to night.
The performances still matter when coaches are evaluating workload, rebound control, positioning and composure behind unfamiliar defensive combinations.
The Stanley Cup Final offered the extreme version of that lesson only a few months ago. Carolina’s championship was shaped heavily by goaltending and defensive execution, as TSE documented in our report on the Hurricanes’ Game 6 shutout that clinched the 2026 Stanley Cup.
No preseason save carries that weight.
The position still has the power to decide everything once the real games begin.
What Happens Next in the NHL Preseason?
The evaluation window remains short.
Florida and Carolina meet next, giving the last three Stanley Cup champions another early look at one another before they meet again on regular-season opening night.
Boston faces Philadelphia. The Rangers play the Islanders. Columbus goes to Buffalo, Detroit visits Pittsburgh and Edmonton gets another look at Winnipeg.
Tampa Bay and Nashville meet again in the Central-East crossover, Vancouver visits Calgary, Vegas travels to San Jose and Utah plays Los Angeles.
Those games will produce more scores.
The useful questions remain underneath them.
Which young players survive roster cuts?
Which new combinations remain together?
Which goalies earn trust?
Which established teams discover a weakness before it costs them a regular-season game?
The preseason still has time to answer some of those questions.
Not much.
The Bigger Picture After Three Days of NHL Preseason Hockey
Three days are enough to produce patterns, but not conclusions.
Montreal’s offense looks comfortable late in games.
Chicago may have found another dynamic piece in Byram.
Florida saw Brady Tkachuk produce immediately in his debut.
Anaheim watched Sennecke score three times.
Edmonton’s McDavid-Draisaitl partnership required almost no adjustment period.
Seattle’s young players have repeatedly taken advantage of their minutes.
Winnipeg now has a 31-save Skinner debut to evaluate.
Washington has Brodzinski making himself difficult to overlook.
Those developments are real.
The mistake would be turning them into October predictions too quickly.
Preseason is not designed to tell us who will win the Stanley Cup.
It is designed to help teams decide who deserves the opportunity to try.
That is where the first three days have become genuinely interesting.
Follow The Sports Encounter’s NHL Hub for continuing preseason reports, roster decisions, injuries, contracts, player performances and Stanley Cup analysis throughout the 2026-27 season.
Frequently Asked Questions
What were the NHL preseason scores on September 21, 2026?
Montreal beat Ottawa 3-2 in overtime, Columbus defeated Detroit 1-0 in a shootout, Pittsburgh beat Buffalo 4-1, New Jersey defeated the Rangers 3-2, Washington beat Philadelphia 5-2, Chicago beat Minnesota 4-3 in overtime, Dallas defeated St. Louis 2-1 and Winnipeg beat Colorado 3-1.
Who scored a hat trick for the Chicago Blackhawks?
Bowen Byram scored all three of his goals in his Blackhawks preseason debut, including the winning goal only 29 seconds into overtime against Minnesota.
How did Cole Caufield perform against the Ottawa Senators?
Caufield scored twice in Montreal’s 3-2 overtime victory, tying the game on the power play in the third period before scoring the winner at 3:19 of overtime.
How many overtime winners has Cole Caufield scored this preseason?
Caufield has scored overtime winners in each of his first two preseason appearances, first against Toronto and then against Ottawa.
How did Stuart Skinner perform in his Winnipeg Jets debut?
Skinner made 31 saves as Winnipeg defeated Colorado 3-1, giving the Jets an encouraging first performance from their offseason goaltending addition.
Who starred for the Pittsburgh Penguins against Buffalo?
Bryan Rust recorded a goal and two assists in Pittsburgh’s 4-1 victory. Connor Dewar added a goal and an assist, while Sergei Murashov stopped all 13 shots he faced.
Who scored the winning goal for the Devils against the Rangers?
Jack Hughes scored with 2:12 remaining in the third period to give New Jersey a 3-2 victory.
Is Alex Ovechkin injured?
Ovechkin is day to day with a lower-body injury. Washington coach Spencer Carbery has indicated that the 41-year-old may not need to play during the preseason, depending on how his recovery progresses.
When does the 2026-27 NHL regular season begin?
The NHL regular season begins Tuesday, September 29, 2026. The league will play an 84-game schedule per team this season.