Top 5: Kirill Marchenko Scores His First Goal with the Maple Leafs

Mathis Therrien
Top 5: Kirill Marchenko Scores His First Goal with the Maple Leafs
Credit: Capture d'écran Twitter

Last night marked the first Saturday night of the 2026–2027 National Hockey League season, with 26 teams in action across 13 games.

There were several highlights aside from the Montreal Canadiens' incredible—though ultimately incomplete—comeback.

Here's a recap of the night.

1. Kirill Marchenko Scores His First Goal with the Leafs

We've been waiting for it, and here it is: Kirill Marchenko opened his scoring account with the Toronto Maple Leafs last night, finding the back of the net on a power play against the Ottawa Senators.

It was a great personal goal for Marchenko, who scored it in front of his home fans on a Saturday night.

Unfortunately, it wasn't enough, as the Leafs fell 3–2 in regulation to the Sens, who were playing their first game of the season.

2. Mike Babcock pleased that his team didn't allow a touchdown

The Edmonton Oilers played their third game of the season last night, and let's just say we had every reason to expect plenty of goals once again, considering the Oilers had scored 14 goals and allowed 13 in two games against the Canucks.

This time, against the Seattle Kraken, we expected to see more of the same, but in the end, the Oilers managed to pull off a 3-1 victory, limiting their opponent to just 20 shots.

After the game, Mike Babcock expressed his surprise and delight, explaining that he was happy his team didn't give up a single goal this time.

In short, after a 6–5 overtime loss and a 9–7 win, the Oilers finally played a more normal game.

3. Artturi Lehkonen Makes Jordan Binnington Look Bad

The Colorado Avalanche is picking up right where it left off last season, as the team is once again dominant, having already scored 14 goals in two games while allowing just five.

Last night, the Avalanche crushed the St. Louis Blues 6–1, allowing the team to rack up several points early in the season.

Artturi Lehkonen is one player already capitalizing on this strong start to the season; after scoring two goals in his season debut, he added a third last night, making Jordan Binnington look very bad.

The former Canadiens player now has three goals and four points in two games.

4. Victor Eklund scores his first career goal on his birthday

The New York Islanders acquired Emil Heineman and two first-round picks from the Canadiens in exchange for Noah Dobson during the summer of 2025.

Well, one of the two prospects drafted with the Canadiens' picks stood out yesterday.

In a 6-0 Islanders victory over the New Jersey Devils, Victor Eklund scored his first career NHL goal—on his birthday, no less.

A great moment for the young player, who shows tremendous potential.

5. The Young Sharks Make Their Mark

The San Jose Sharks won 6–5 in overtime last night against the Los Angeles Kings, and let's just say this victory was powered by the Sharks' young talents.

Macklin Celebrini had two assists, Michael Misa had one assist, Ivar Stenberg recorded his first career point, and Igor Chernyshov capped it all off with three points, including the game-winning goal in overtime.

Here's Stenberg's first point on a goal by Tyler Toffoli.

And here's Chernyshov's second goal, the one in overtime.


Overtime

– Here are all the results from yesterday.

(Credit: P3RF.ca)

– Here are yesterday's top scorers.

(Credit: P3RF.ca)

– On the NHL schedule today: five games.

(Credit: P3RF.ca)
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