The Hockey News Morning Skate: Larkin's Red Wings Return, McKenna Milestones, Marchand's Injury Scare

Welcome to The Hockey News Morning Skate, where we give a quick recap of all the action from the NHL every weekday morning so you stay up to date.

There were 18 teams in action across nine games last night with a ton of noteworthy moments, highlighted by Toronto Maple Leafs forward Gavin McKenna's first career NHL goal.

Let's run through the biggest storylines that emerged from last night's slate of action, and make sure to check out the video version of this story above.

Fans in Toronto were anxiously waiting for McKenna, the first-overall selection in the 2026 NHL Draft, to get on the scoresheet after appearing in three games without picking up a point. Those same fans were treated to a special night on Tuesday as the 18-year-old picked up his first career assist and goal against the Nashville Predators.

While McKenna was named the first star of the night, it was Auston Matthews who led the way with three points, including the overtime winner, as the Maple Leafs overcame a three-goal deficit to defeat the Predators 5-4.

Things haven't been easy for Dylan Larkin since his trade request went public earlier this summer. The former captain suited up for his first game of the season with the Detroit Red Wings to face the home crowd at Little Caesars Arena after he received a smattering of boos when being introduced to the crowd earlier this week.

Larkin delivered in his return, picking up a goal and an assist in Detroit's 5-3 win over the Ottawa Senators.

Alexis Lafreniere picked up his third career hat trick and added an assist to elevate the New York Rangers to a 5-2 victory over the New York Islanders. The 24-year-old now has five points in five games with this big performance that led the Blueshirts to their fourth straight win.

More importantly, that was the Rangers' third consecutive win on home ice at Madison Square Garden. They put together a miserable 14-20-7 record in their building last season and have already given fans quite a show at home to kick off the season.

The Florida Panthers were dealt a significant blow earlier this week with the news that captain Aleksander Barkov is projected to be out six to eight weeks with a lower-body injury. Things got worse quickly when Brad Marchand was assisted off the ice against the Los Angeles Kings two games later.

Head coach Paul Maurice had no update on the 38-year-old's status, and said he'll likely be re-evaluated on Thursday. Marchand was in just his second appearance of the 2026-27 season after recovering from surgery throughout the summer on an undisclosed injury.

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