While negotiations have been ongoing in an attempt to end the NHL lockout, insufficient progress was made to prevent more of the season from being lost. The league announced another week of cancellations, wiping out the schedule through November 1. Combined with previous cancellations, nine Pittsburgh Penguins games have been canceled thus far. Among the lost games were the first matchup of the season with the Philadelphia Flyers, as well as a Halloween showdown with Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals. In total, 135 games have been canceled throughout the league.
The NHL has said that if a new collective bargaining agreement can be reached by next week, that the season could begin on November 2, and the schedule reconfigured to include a full 82-game season. The lockout enters its 35th game on Saturday, and the next round of negotiations is currently not scheduled. After the owners quickly rejected three union counter-proposals earlier this week, Penguins star Sidney Crosby said that "it doesn't look good" in regards to a resolution.