This NHL week 1 recap covers the first stretch of the 2026-27 season, from Opening Night on Sept. 29 through Oct. 5, plus the early Oct. 6 follow-up that finally got Gavin McKenna on the scoresheet. Not every box score needs a deep dive. The clearer picture is who looked sharp early, who surprised, and which players set the tone before the schedule really settles in.
Table of Contents
Key Takeaways
- Week 1 ran from Sept. 29 to Oct. 5 and already produced blowouts, overtime chaos, and a few early identity checks.
- Colorado looked like the clearest early hammer in the West after 8-4 and 6-1 wins.
- Seattle owned Calgary twice by identical 6-1 scores.
- Utah, Ottawa, Minnesota, and the Rangers all flashed strong early form.
- Evan Bouchard, Paul Cotter, Connor McDavid, and Nick Schmaltz were among the loudest individual names.
- Top draft picks made noise too: Ivar Stenberg earned his first NHL point for San Jose, and Gavin McKenna followed with a two-point night for Toronto.
- Chicago, Calgary, and Philadelphia took the hardest early hits.
Best Performing Teams
Colorado Avalanche
Colorado opened with an 8-4 win over the Los Angeles Kings, then crushed the St. Louis Blues 6-1. That is 14 goals in two games and almost no early stress. The Avalanche looked fast, connected through the neutral zone, and finished chances before opponents could settle.
- The Takeaway: Colorado’s Week 1 was the cleanest “contender look” in the league.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh announced itself with a 7-0 win in Philadelphia, then survived a wild 6-5 overtime win over Montreal. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin still drive the attack, and the supporting cast piled on against the Flyers. A later loss to Winnipeg kept the week from being perfect, but the opening statement was loud.
- The Stat: Pittsburgh scored seven unanswered goals in its season opener.
New York Rangers
The Rangers started with a 3-0 loss in Boston, then flipped the script. They beat Tampa Bay 5-1, shut out Detroit 2-0, and handled Utah 4-2. That rebound matters more than the Opening Night result. Structure returned quickly, and the East already has to take New York seriously again.
- The Takeaway: New York’s Week 1 story was recovery, not collapse.
Minnesota Wild
Minnesota quietly did strong work: a 3-1 win in Nashville, then a 4-1 home win over Boston. No fireworks required. The Wild looked organized, scored enough, and took points from a Bruins team that had started well.
- The Stat: Minnesota beat Boston by three goals after the Bruins opened 2-0-0.
Surprise Starts
Seattle Kraken
Nobody expected Seattle to treat Calgary like a practice squad twice. The Kraken won 6-1 in Calgary, then 6-1 again at home. Even with a loss in Edmonton mixed in, that Pacific start was one of the week’s biggest surprises. Seattle’s forecheck and finish looked sharp against a Flames group that could not generate pushback.
- The Takeaway: Two 6-1 wins over the same rival made Seattle Week 1’s loudest surprise.
Utah Mammoth
Utah opened with a 6-0 home win over Chicago, then beat Columbus 4-1 on the road. Nick Schmaltz was already on the early scoring board. A later loss in New York stopped the perfect run, but the Mammoth still looked like a Central team ready to score in bunches.
- The Stat: Utah blanked Chicago 6-0 in its home opener.
Ottawa Senators
Ottawa went into tough buildings and left with wins: 3-2 in Toronto and 4-1 in Boston. That is a strong early read for a team many expected to take time finding its footing. Road composure and secondary scoring both showed up.
- The Takeaway: Ottawa’s road wins over Toronto and Boston were among Week 1’s best “quiet” results.
San Jose Sharks
The Sharks stole points the hard way, beating Florida and Los Angeles in overtime before Dallas shut them out 5-0. Early resilience was real. Consistency is the next test.
- The Stat: San Jose took two overtime wins before its first regulation loss of the week.
Standout Players
Evan Bouchard and Paul Cotter
Opening Night in Edmonton belonged to both of them for different reasons. Evan Bouchard scored a hat trick for the Oilers and still lost. Paul Cotter scored shorthanded, then won it in overtime for Vancouver. Cotter kept producing later in the week too. That Canucks-Oilers series made both names impossible to ignore.
- The Takeaway: Bouchard’s hat trick and Cotter’s OT winner set the tone for a wild Pacific week.
Connor McDavid
Connor McDavid did what he usually does when games turn into track meets: create, finish, and drag Edmonton back into chaos. After the Opening Night OT loss, the Oilers answered with a 9-7 win in Vancouver. McDavid’s fingerprints were all over the early points race.
- The Stat: Edmonton and Vancouver combined for 27 goals across their first two meetings.
Jack Eichel and Trevor Connelly
Vegas opened with a 5-2 win over Chicago. Jack Eichel put up a three-point night, and Trevor Connelly scored in his NHL debut. Vegas dropped a home game to Anaheim, then bounced back with a 3-2 win in Vancouver. The star-plus-youth mix is already visible.
- The Takeaway: Eichel drove the opener, and Connelly’s debut goal gave Vegas an early highlight clip.
William Nylander and Auston Matthews
Toronto had a mixed week, but its top finishers still showed. William Nylander scored both goals in the Opening Night loss to Montreal. Auston Matthews stayed central to the offense as the Leafs hunted consistency. Toronto can score. The rest of the roster still needs to catch up night to night, though Gavin McKenna’s breakthrough on Oct. 6 gave the Leafs a different kind of early spark.
- The Stat: Nylander scored Toronto’s only two goals in the 3-2 loss to Montreal.
Top Rookies: McKenna and Stenberg
Gavin McKenna
Gavin McKenna, the No. 1 pick in the 2026 Draft, opened quietly. He went without a point through his first three NHL games while still seeing regular minutes in Toronto. Then came Oct. 6 against Nashville.
McKenna finished with two points in a 5-4 overtime win at Scotiabank Arena: his first NHL assist, then his first NHL goal. The primary assist came on John Tavares’s goal. Later in the second period, he buried his first career marker off a feed from Auston Matthews, with Jack Roslovic also getting credit. Matthews later won it in overtime and finished with four points. For a Leafs group still sorting out consistency, the No. 1 pick finally putting points on the board was the night’s bigger storyline.
- The Takeaway: McKenna’s first NHL goal and assist arrived together in a two-point night against Nashville.
Ivar Stenberg
Ivar Stenberg, taken second overall by the San Jose Sharks, had a quieter but still meaningful start. He was in the lineup for San Jose’s early overtime wins over Florida and the Los Angeles Kings, skating middle-six minutes with power-play looks next to a young Sharks group built around names like Macklin Celebrini.
His first NHL point came Oct. 3 (into Oct. 4 local) in the 5-4 overtime win over Los Angeles: a power-play assist on Tyler Toffoli’s second-period goal. Production was still light outside that helper, and San Jose’s week ended with a 5-0 loss in Dallas, but the first point is on the board and the usage already looks real.
- The Stat: Stenberg’s first NHL point was a power-play assist on Toffoli in San Jose’s OT win over Los Angeles.
Early Warning Signs
Calgary Flames
Calgary allowed 12 goals to Seattle across two games and also lost 4-1 in Vancouver. That is a brutal Pacific start. Chance creation looked soft, and the defensive gaps were obvious.
Chicago Blackhawks
Chicago opened with losses to Vegas (5-2) and Utah (6-0), then dropped another one-goal game in Buffalo. The Blackhawks were outscored heavily early and spent too much time chasing.
Philadelphia Flyers
Philadelphia absorbed a 7-0 home loss to Pittsburgh and struggled to find traction afterward. Special teams and five-on-five structure both looked shaky in the first week.
- The Takeaway: Calgary, Chicago, and Philadelphia were the clearest early red-flag teams.
The Games Everyone Talked About
A few results carried more weight than the rest of the slate:
- Vancouver 6, Edmonton 5 (OT) then Edmonton 9, Vancouver 7
The wildest stretch of Week 1. Star power, lead changes, and zero defensive comfort. - Pittsburgh 7, Philadelphia 0
The week’s biggest one-sided statement. - Montreal 3, Toronto 2
Rivalry opener, and Montreal handled the building after falling behind early. - Colorado 8, Los Angeles 4
Early proof that Colorado’s attack was ready immediately. - Boston 3, Rangers 0 then New York’s rebound wins
One night does not define a team. The Rangers showed that within 72 hours. - Islanders 6, Devils 0
New York Islanders delivered one of the week’s cleanest defensive performances against New Jersey. - St. Louis 4, Dallas 0
A sharp road shutout before Colorado reminded the Blues how fast the Central can turn.
What to Watch Next
- Can Colorado keep scoring at this pace once opponents start packing the middle?
- Are Seattle’s wins a real Pacific jump, or mainly a Calgary problem?
- Can Ottawa turn its strong road start into home traction?
- Do the Rangers keep the structure that fixed Opening Night so quickly?
- Can Edmonton and Vancouver find any defensive balance the next time they meet?
- How soon do Chicago and Calgary stop the early bleeding?
- Can McKenna turn one two-point night into a real early scoring run in Toronto?
- Does Stenberg start generating shots and even-strength points after his first helper?
Week 1 is a small sample, but the early board is clear enough: Colorado looks dangerous, Seattle and Utah punched above expectations, Ottawa stole tough road games, the top draft picks are on the board, and a few clubs already need answers.
FAQs
When was NHL Week 1 in 2026-27?
NHL Week 1 ran from Opening Night on Sept. 29, 2026, through Oct. 5, 2026.
Which team looked best in NHL Week 1?
Colorado looked like the strongest early team after outscoring Los Angeles and St. Louis 14-5 across two wins.
Which teams were the biggest surprises?
Seattle, Utah, and Ottawa were the clearest surprise packages in Week 1.
What was the highest-scoring series of the week?
Edmonton and Vancouver combined for 27 goals in two games: a 6-5 overtime Canucks win and a 9-7 Oilers win.
Who had a hat trick in Week 1?
Evan Bouchard scored a hat trick for Edmonton on Opening Night against Vancouver.
Which team had the toughest Week 1 start?
Calgary and Chicago both struggled badly, with Calgary twice losing 6-1 to Seattle and Chicago opening with heavy losses to Vegas and Utah.
Did any rookies make noise in Week 1?
Yes. Trevor Connelly scored in his NHL debut for Vegas on Opening Night. Ivar Stenberg earned his first NHL point with a power-play assist for San Jose. Gavin McKenna then posted a goal and an assist in Toronto’s 5-4 OT win over Nashville on Oct. 6.
How did Gavin McKenna do early on?
McKenna was held without a point in his first three games, then recorded his first NHL assist and first NHL goal in the same night against Nashville on Oct. 6.
How did Ivar Stenberg do in Week 1?
Stenberg picked up his first NHL point, a power-play assist on Tyler Toffoli’s goal, in San Jose’s 5-4 overtime win over Los Angeles.
Where can I follow more NHL scores and standings?
Track live NHL scores, standings, and fixtures on 365Scores NHL.
