NHL Morning Update: Capitals shine, decentralized draft and more news

NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - OCTOBER 25: Sonny Milano #15 of the Washington Capitals (R) celebrates his goal against Akira Schmid #40 of the New Jersey Devils and is joined by Trevor van Riemsdyk #57 (L) at 17:15 of the first period at Prudential Center on October 25, 2023 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - OCTOBER 25: Sonny Milano #15 of the Washington Capitals (R) celebrates his goal against Akira Schmid #40 of the New Jersey Devils and is joined by Trevor van Riemsdyk #57 (L) at 17:15 of the first period at Prudential Center on October 25, 2023 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

Welcome to the first official NHL Morning Update, your go to spot for all things going on around the league.

NHL Morning Update 10/26: Capitals with a comeback win and major draft update.

After the craziness which was the NHL Frozen Frenzy, fans had just one game to watch on Wednesday, but that does not mean it was a slow news day by any means.

Scores from around the NHL last night.

Washington Capitals 6 – New Jersey Devils 4

The Washington Capitals made it a game last night. After scoring three unanswered goals in the first period, it looked like the Devils were going to runaway with things in the second when they scored four unanswered goals. But, the Capitals came alive in the third with another bout of three goals.

If you like defensive low scoring hockey, this was not the game for you, but if you like a game where there is a lot of offense, this was a game for you. Also a major congratulations to Hunter Shepard, the Capitals netminder made his NHL debut last night and won making 18 saves on 22 shots.

Draft Update:

The NHL Draft will be changing sooner rather than later. According to Elliotte Freedman, the majority of NHL teams have voted to decentralize the NHL Draft. Obviously the draft is a fan favorite event for die-hard fans during the offseason, but there is a desire to shake things up.

Injuries already making an impact around the league:

There have already been some major injuries impacting teams early across the league. Everyone is familiar with the situation in Edmonton with Connor McDavid out. The Oilers need to pull together and try to win without their star player on the ice. To a lesser extent, the Blackhawks and Blue Jackets also are missing some star power as Taylor Hall and Patrik Laine are both missing time for their respective teams.

Another team that has been hit hard with injuries has to be the Minnesota Wild. They are without Frederick Gaudreau, Jared Spurgeon, Matt Boldy and Alex Goligoski, that is a long list of players missing from the lineup, but the team did still manage to get the win in a tough fought game against the Oilers.

After having all 32 teams play on Tuesday, Thursday will be another action packed night with 22 teams in action. Here are the matchups of the night.

Anaheim Ducks at Boston Bruins: 7 PM ET

Columbus Blue Jackets at Montreal Canadiens: 7 PM ET

Winnipeg Jets at Detroit Red Wings: 7 PM ET

San Jose Sharks at Tampa Bay Lightning: 7 PM ET

Colorado Avalanche at Pittsburgh Penguins: 7 PM ET

Seattle Kraken at Carolina Hurricanes: 7 PM ET

Minnesota Wild at Philadelphia Flyers: 7:30 PM ET

Ottawa Senators at New York Islanders: 7:30 PM ET

Toronto Maple Leafs at Dallas Stars: 8 PM ET

St. Louis Blues at Calgary Flames: 9 PM ET

New York Rangers at Edmonton Oilers: 9 PM ET