NHL morning recap november 3 2025: Boeser’s overtime heroics highlight four-game slate

Monday night’s four-game NHL slate delivered everything hockey fans crave: dramatic comebacks, milestone achievements, and overtime heroics. The evening’s action showcased the unpredictable nature of the league, with teams battling through adversity and finding ways to secure crucial victories. From Toronto’s stunning third-period rally to St. Louis snapping a lengthy losing streak, November 3, 2025, proved why every game matters in the marathon NHL season.

Boeser lifts Canucks past Predators in overtime thriller

Brock Boeser capped a two-goal performance with the overtime winner at 4:58 of the extra frame, lifting the Vancouver Canucks to a 5-4 victory over the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena. The winning goal came after Boeser carried the puck off the right wall and beat Juuse Saros with a backhand shot up high, silencing the Nashville crowd and giving Vancouver its second win in three games.

The game showcased the offensive firepower both teams possess, with lead changes and momentum swings throughout regulation. Evander Kane finally ended his season-opening scoring drought in emphatic fashion, netting two goals including a crucial third-period marker that temporarily gave Vancouver a 4-2 advantage. Kane had gone goalless through the first 13 games of the season, making his breakout performance particularly timely for the Canucks.

Jake DeBrusk added another goal for Vancouver, while Thatcher Demko made 25 saves to secure the victory. The Canucks’ power play proved particularly effective, scoring their first two goals with the man advantage. Prior to Monday’s contest, Nashville had been exceptional on home ice penalty kills, allowing just one power-play goal in their previous eight home games while successfully killing 28 of 29 opportunities.

Filip Forsberg opened the scoring for Nashville with his team-leading sixth goal of the season, tapping in a rebound after his initial shot was stopped by Demko. Michael Bunting contributed a goal and an assist, while Erik Haula and Nick Blankenburg also found the back of the net for the Predators. Luke Evangelista recorded two assists in the losing effort.

The Predators mounted a furious late-game comeback, with Bunting cutting the lead to 4-3 before Blankenburg’s power-play goal with just 3:22 remaining in regulation forced overtime. The Monday night slate continues to provide compelling drama for hockey fans following a busy weekend schedule. The power-play success marked the first time this season Nashville had scored twice with the man advantage in a single game.

Both teams will quickly turn their attention to their next challenges, with Vancouver hosting Chicago on Wednesday and Nashville traveling to Minnesota on Tuesday. The overtime victory keeps the Canucks in the thick of the Pacific Division race, while the Predators continue searching for consistency despite their competitive performances.

Maple Leafs complete stunning comeback against Penguins

The Toronto Maple Leafs authored one of the most remarkable comebacks of the young season, erasing a three-goal deficit in the third period to defeat the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-3 at Scotiabank Arena. Bobby McMann broke the tie at 13:43 of the final frame, banging home a rebound after Nicholas Robertson drove to the net, completing Toronto’s improbable rally and giving the Leafs their fourth win in five games.

William Nylander, returning from a two-game absence due to a lower-body injury, sparked the comeback with two goals and an assist in a masterful performance. Auston Matthews also contributed a goal and an assist as Toronto’s star power took over in the third period. The Maple Leafs scored three times in a mere 3:24 span to erase Pittsburgh’s comfortable lead, stunning the Penguins and the crowd at Scotiabank Arena.

The comeback appeared unlikely through the first 40 minutes, as Pittsburgh dominated possession and outshot Toronto 25-8 through two periods. Ben Kindel scored twice for his first multi-goal NHL game, including a power-play marker in the second period that gave the Penguins what seemed like a commanding 3-0 advantage. The 18-year-old forward, selected 11th overall in the 2025 NHL Draft, became the first Penguins teenager to score twice in a game since Olli Maatta accomplished the feat on March 6, 2014.

Matthews initiated the comeback at 3:31 of the third period, slipping behind Sidney Crosby at the blue line and converting a breakaway opportunity by shooting between Tristan Jarry’s pads. Nylander cut the deficit to 3-2 just 1:16 later, corralling a loose puck out of midair in the slot and backhanding a shot that banked in off Jarry’s back. The Swedish star then tied the game at 6:55 with a one-timer from the blue line, setting the stage for McMann’s heroics.

“We just simplified our game, got after it,” Nylander explained after the game. “We played terrible for two periods, so we just tried to do something. It was unacceptable in the first two periods, there’s nothing more to say. Just our compete level was not there. Losing every battle, losing every puck. That’s what it comes down to.”

Pittsburgh coach Dan Muse expressed frustration with his team’s inability to maintain their strong performance through a full 60 minutes. “It has to be a full 60-minutes, though, and we got away from it there. When they took momentum, we weren’t able to at least pause the momentum.”

Anthony Stolarz made 34 saves for Toronto, while Morgan Rielly recorded two assists to pass Tomas Kaberle for second place among defensemen in Maple Leafs history with 522 career points. The third-period dramatics echo recent trends of late-game heroics throughout the league this season. Erik Karlsson scored his first goal of the season for Pittsburgh in the loss.

Blues snap seven-game skid as McDavid reaches milestone

St. Louis ended a seven-game losing streak in dramatic fashion, rallying from a 2-0 deficit to defeat the Edmonton Oilers 3-2 at Enterprise Center. Pius Suter buried the game-winning goal with just 1:23 remaining in regulation, stuffing home a rebound of Colton Parayko’s shot to cap the Blues’ comeback and give them their first victory since October 18.

The victory came despite Connor McDavid adding another remarkable achievement to his legendary resume. McDavid became the fourth-fastest player in NHL history to reach 1,100 career points, accomplishing the feat in his 726th game with two assists in the losing effort. Only Wayne Gretzky (464 games), Mario Lemieux (550 games), and Mike Bossy (725 games) reached the milestone faster than the Oilers captain.

Dalibor Dvorsky provided the spark for St. Louis, scoring his first NHL goal on a power-play one-timer from the right circle in the second period. The 20-year-old, playing in just his fifth career game after being selected 10th overall in the 2023 NHL Draft, dropped to one knee and pumped his fist after beating Calvin Pickard to cut Edmonton’s lead to 2-1.

“Obviously, it was awesome,” Dvorsky said of his milestone goal. “Nothing else to say. Great pass from Faulk there. Just tried to shoot it and I’m happy it went in. To be honest, I wouldn’t care if I kicked the puck in or shoot it. The first goal is the first goal.”

Robert Thomas, returning from a four-game absence due to an upper-body injury, tied the game at 2-2 late in the second period when he banked a shot off the post, Pickard’s stick, and body. The fortuitous goal gave St. Louis life and momentum heading into the third period. Jordan Binnington made 24 saves for the Blues, ending his own five-game winless streak (0-3-2) in the process.

Jack Roslovic gave Edmonton a 1-0 lead with a power-play goal just eight seconds into a man advantage late in the first period, tapping in McDavid’s perfect feed from below the goal line. Andrew Mangiapane extended the lead to 2-0 early in the second period with a one-timer on a 4-on-2 rush after Parayko’s shot was blocked.

Despite holding St. Louis to just three shots in the third period before Suter’s winner, Edmonton couldn’t find the back of the net themselves. The Oilers’ inability to add insurance proved costly as the Blues broke through late. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins recorded two assists for Edmonton, giving him nine points in his last eight games, while Leon Draisaitl saw his eight-game point streak (six goals, six assists) come to an end.

Coach Kris Knoblauch expressed disappointment with the late-game breakdown despite his team’s overall performance. “It looked like it was going to go to overtime,” Knoblauch said. “It didn’t feel like we were sitting back. I thought we had a lot of push, had our chances. Unfortunate that with a minute and a half, to give them that goal like that.”

Kraken steady ship with victory over Blackhawks

Joey Daccord made 29 saves as the Seattle Kraken defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 3-1 at Climate Pledge Arena, bouncing back from consecutive losses and improving their home record to 4-0-2. Jordan Eberle and Matty Beniers each contributed a goal and an assist, providing the offensive punch Seattle needed to secure the victory.

Jamie Oleksiak opened the scoring at 2:57 of the second period with a long shot from the right point that navigated through traffic and beat Arvid Soderblom under his glove. The goal ended an eight-game point drought for the veteran defenseman and gave Seattle an early lead they would protect for much of the contest.

Beniers doubled the advantage just eight seconds into a power play at 7:36 of the second period, burying a wrist shot from the right circle after receiving a brilliant backhand feed from Eberle. The goal ended a nine-game scoring drought for Beniers and came on Seattle’s 13th shot of the game—a marked improvement from their 13-shot total in an overtime loss to the New York Rangers on Saturday.

“Definitely got more shots tonight, definitely more opportunities,” Beniers explained. “I think it’s sometimes just a mentality thing. You put it in your brain that you’re going to shoot the puck and get to the net, you go and do it. And sometimes we get away from that, but I thought we did a much better job tonight.”

Andre Burakovsky cut the deficit to 2-1 midway through the third period, scoring five-hole on a short breakaway after a beautiful setup by Connor Bedard. The young Blackhawks star extended his point streak to five games with the assist, continuing his strong play with nine points (four goals, five assists) during the stretch.

Eberle provided the insurance marker at 16:05 of the third period, opting to shoot on a 2-on-1 rush and beating Soderblom from the left circle after a Chicago turnover in the neutral zone. The veteran forward’s goal sealed the victory and helped Seattle improve to 6-0-0 when leading after two periods this season.

Daccord nearly added to his stellar performance by scoring an empty-net goal late in the game, but Artyom Levshunov broke up the attempt at the blue line. “Shooters shoot, so I shot it,” Daccord said with a smile. “I thought it was in. I said to myself, ‘It’s in,’ because when it was in the air, it was dead center. I’ll keep shooting.”

Chicago coach Jeff Blashill remained positive despite the loss, praising Bedard’s consistent effort while acknowledging his team needs to find more consistency. “The thing I’d say about Connor is his compete every single day is outstanding,” Blashill said. “I asked him at the beginning of the year, as one of the better players on the team, to be a great leader in terms of playing winning hockey, and he’s done that consistently.”

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Monday’s four-game slate reinforced several key narratives emerging across the NHL. Toronto’s resilience in erasing a three-goal deficit demonstrates why no lead is safe in today’s game, while St. Louis’s breakthrough victory shows how persistence can eventually pay dividends even during difficult stretches. McDavid’s historic milestone adds another chapter to his already legendary career, though the loss prevents full celebration.

Vancouver’s overtime victory in Nashville keeps them competitive in the Pacific Division race, while Seattle’s steady performance against Chicago suggests they’re finding their rhythm after a brief stumble. As the season approaches the quarter mark, these Monday night results will likely prove significant in the larger playoff picture, with teams either building momentum or looking to reverse troubling trends in the games ahead.