Raddysh Stumbles, Bouchard Makes History on NHL Opening Night

The 2026-27 NHL regular season dropped the puck on Tuesday with a five-game slate featuring 10 clubs, including the past four Stanley Cup champions. Opening night delivered a mix of breakout performances, early struggles and notable milestones, from a rough first outing for Darren Raddysh in Toronto to a record-setting night for Evan Bouchard and a major career marker for Jack Eichel.

Marchenko shines while Raddysh battles through rough Maple Leafs debut

In Toronto, the revamped Maple Leafs iced several new faces, and Kirill Marchenko wasted no time making an impression. Thrust onto the top line less than a day after his whirlwind arrival, he logged just over 20 minutes of ice time, the second-highest total among Toronto forwards behind Auston Matthews, and generated offence consistently despite the loss.

On defence, though, Raddysh’s first game since signing a lucrative off-season contract was more problematic. The blueliner led all Maple Leafs skaters with nearly 24 minutes played but was charged with five giveaways and finished at minus-1. For a player expected to be a key part of Toronto’s blue-line overhaul, it was a challenging first step in a long season.

Markstrom blanks Hurricanes, Bouchard stars in familiar Oilers loss

In Carolina, the Hurricanes’ Stanley Cup banner-raising night was spoiled by the visiting Florida Panthers. Goaltender Jacob Markstrom, back with the organization, turned aside all 15 shots he faced to post a shutout and silence the home crowd. Gustav Forsling capped the night with an overtime slap shot in the final seconds of the extra frame to secure the win for Florida.

Edmonton’s opener under new head coach Mike Babcock followed an all-too-familiar script: shaky goaltending, a late push driven by the stars and, in the end, a loss to a Vancouver Canucks team many would view as inferior on paper. The result overshadowed a remarkable performance from Evan Bouchard, who became the first defenceman since Mark Howe in 1980 to record a hat trick in a season debut. He picked up a point on each of the Oilers’ five goals, a powerful answer after he was left out of last season’s Norris Trophy finalist group.

Eichel hits 700 points as Golden Knights roll past Blackhawks

In Las Vegas, Jack Eichel opened his season in dominant fashion, driving a 5-2 Golden Knights victory over the Chicago Blackhawks, who were without Connor Bedard. Eichel scored once and finished the night with three points, pushing him to 700 career points at the NHL level.

Despite never having won an individual NHL award, Eichel’s opening-night showing hinted at a campaign where he could be firmly in the awards conversation by spring. Combined with Bouchard’s historic outburst, Markstrom’s shutout and the scrutiny already facing Toronto’s blue line, the first night of 2026-27 has quickly set the stage for a season full of compelling storylines.