Preseason roundup: Penguins win Karlsson debut

Erik Karlsson made his debut for the Pittsburgh Penguins in a 3-1 win against the Buffalo Sabres at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh on Thursday.

Karlsson, who was acquired from the San Jose Sharks in a three-team trade also involving the Montreal Canadiens on Aug. 6, had one shot on goal and played 19:15. He won the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s best defenseman for the third time last season.

Drew O'Connor scored twice in the third period, and Rickard Rakell also scored for the Penguins. Tristan Jarry made 25 saves.

Tage Thompson scored, and Eric Comrie made 27 saves for the Sabres.

Rakell gave Pittsburgh a 1-0 lead at 11:27 of the second period, but Thompson tied it 1-1 at 19:19.

O’Connor put Pittsburgh ahead 2-1 at 8:48 of the third period before scoring an empty-net goal at 19:06 for the 3-1 final.

Wild 4, Avalanche 2: Kirill Kaprizov scored two goals for the Minnesota Wild in their win against the Colorado Avalanche at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.

Alex Goligoski and Jonas Brodin also scored for the Wild. Brock Faber, Vinni Lettieri and Mats Zuccarello each had two assists, and Marc-Andre Fleury made 25 saves.

Matt Stienburg and Riley Tufte scored, and Justus Annunen had 31 saves for the Avalanche.

Kaprizov gave Minnesota a 1-0 lead 32 seconds into the first period before Goligoski extended it to 2-0 at 13:02.

Stienburg cut it to 2-1 at 15:54, but Brodin made it 3-1 at 14:56 of the second period.

Marco Rossi missed a penalty shot for Minnesota at 16:18 following a tripping penalty against Brad Hunt on a breakaway.

Tufte cut it to 3-2 at 17:31 of the third period before Kaprizov scored an empty-net goal at 19:29 for the 4-2 final.

Devils 3, Rangers 2: Tyler Toffoli scored his first goal for the New Jersey Devils in their victory against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Toffoli was acquired in a trade with the Calgary Flames on June 27.

Jesper Bratt and Michael McLeod scored, and brothers Jack Hughes and Luke Hughes each had an assist for the Devils. Akira Schmid made 19 saves before being replaced midway through the second period by Erik Kallgren (19 saves)

Erik Gustafsson and Brennan Othmann each scored his first goal for the Rangers, and Igor Shesterkin made 20 saves on 21 shots before being replaced by Louis Domingue (four saves) to begin the third period. Gustafsson also had an assist.

Toffoli made it 1-0 at 18:50 of the first period, but Gustafsson, who signed a one-year contract with New York on July 1, tied it 1-1 at 9:47 of the second with a snap shot after a long passing sequence. It was the first shot against Kallgren.

The Devils went back in front 2-1 while playing 4-on-4 at 25 seconds of the third when Bratt beat Domingue on the first shot he faced.

McLeod’s empty-net goal extended it to 3-1 at 18:25 before Othmann scored at 19:24 for the 3-2 final.

Capitals 4, Red Wings 3: The Washington Capitals scored four consecutive goals in their win against the Detroit Red Wings at Capital One Arena in Washington.

Tom Wilson had a goal and an assist, Ivan Miroshnichenko had two assists, and Charlie Lindgren made 27 saves for Washington.

Robby Fabbri scored twice, Daniel Sprong had a goal and an assist, and Alex Lyon made 13 saves on 15 shots through two periods for Detroit before being replaced by Sebastian Cossa (12 saves) to start the third.

Sprong, who played for Washington from 2020-22, gave the Capitals a 1-0 lead at 3:35 of the second period before Nicklas Backstrom tied it at 7:38 on a deflected pass from Alex Ovechkin from the half-wall.

Wilson gave Washington a 2-1 lead at 12:26 with a slap shot following a face-off win in the right circle by Evgeny Kuznetsov.

Rasmus Sandin extended it to 3-1 with a power-play goal at 7:10 of the third before John Carlson made it 4-1 with the Capitals’ fourth consecutive goal at 16:11.

Fabbri scored at 16:56 and 18:47, both goals coming with Cossa pulled for the extra attacker, for the 4-3 final.

Kraken 3, Canucks 1: Eeli Tolvanen scored two goals for the Seattle Kraken in a victory against the Vancouver Canucks at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle.

Jacob Melanson also scored for the Kraken. Philipp Grubauer made nine saves on 10 shots before being replaced entering the third period by Joey Daccord, who stopped all seven shots he faced.

Conor Garland scored for the Canucks, and Thatcher Demko had 25 saves.

Melanson gave Seattle a 1-0 lead at 9:25 of the first period, but Garland tied it 1-1 at 8:08 of the second period.

Tolvanen put the Kraken ahead 2-1 with a power-play goal at 3:55 of the third period following a holding penalty on Canucks defenseman Ian Cole at 2:48.

Tolvanen scored again at 15:54 for the 3-1 final.