Hockey results Saturday 26 September 2026: AI predictions review

Saturday 26 September 2026 delivered a bruising day for the ten frontier AI models tracked by TuringStats. Across 35 matches in the KHL, Liiga, National League, NHL and SHL, the consensus pick landed on the right side of the final score just 17 times. That is a 48.6 per cent hit rate, and the models were unanimous or near-unanimous on many of the calls that went wrong.

The biggest surprise came in the SHL, where Orebro beat Skellefteå 3–0 despite every one of the ten models backing the visitors. The NHL also produced a series of upsets, including Utah Mammoth's 2–0 shutout of the Colorado Avalanche and the Florida Panthers' 3–2 home loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. In the KHL, Dynamo Moscow's 3–1 defeat by Salavat Ufa was another unanimous miss.

Where the AI got it right

Barys Astana vs Niznekamsk prediction — Niznekamsk were backed by all ten models and delivered a comfortable 6–3 win. The consensus had expected a tighter 2–3 scoreline, but the result was never in doubt.

Magnitogorsk vs Bars Kazan prediction — Magnitogorsk's 2–1 victory was called by every model, though the most common predicted score was 3–2. The home win was enough to secure the right verdict.

Cherepovets vs Sochi prediction — Cherepovets won 3–1, matching the unanimous consensus. The models had an average confidence of 64 per cent, one of the higher marks of the day.

Zurich vs EHC Kloten prediction — Zurich's 3–2 win was the most confident correct call of the day, with all ten models on board and an average confidence of 70 per cent. The predicted 3–1 scoreline was close.

Colorado Avalanche vs Winnipeg Jets prediction — Only 60 per cent of models backed Colorado, but the Avalanche's 5–2 win proved them right. The consensus had expected a 2–3 away win, making this a less certain call that paid off.

Where it got it wrong

Dynamo Moscow vs Salavat Ufa prediction — All ten models predicted a Dynamo Moscow win, with a 3–2 scoreline the most common. Instead, Salavat Ufa won 3–1. Average confidence was 63 per cent.

Shanghai vs Dinamo Minsk prediction — Six of ten models backed Dinamo Minsk, but Shanghai won 2–1. The consensus had expected a 4–3 game.

Spartak Moscow vs Yekaterinburg prediction — A unanimous Spartak Moscow pick was undone by Yekaterinburg's 4–2 win. The models had a 58 per cent average confidence.

Tappara vs SaiPa prediction — Tappara were expected to win 4–2 by all ten models, but SaiPa took it 4–2 instead. Average confidence was 64 per cent.

KalPa vs Lukko prediction — Nine of ten models favoured KalPa, yet Lukko won 2–1. The consensus had predicted a 3–2 home win.

Kiekko-Espoo vs Jokerit prediction — Jokerit were unanimous picks to win 2–3, but Kiekko-Espoo romped to a 4–1 victory.

KooKoo vs Jukurit prediction — Another unanimous miss: KooKoo were expected to win 4–2, but Jukurit won 5–3.

Pelicans vs IFK Helsinki prediction — IFK Helsinki were backed by all ten models to win 2–4, but Pelicans edged it 2–1.

Minnesota Wild vs Dallas Stars prediction — Six of ten models picked Minnesota, but Dallas won 2–1. The consensus had expected a 3–2 Wild win.

Utah Mammoth vs Colorado Avalanche prediction — All ten models backed Colorado, but Utah shut them out 2–0. Average confidence was 65 per cent.

Florida Panthers vs Tampa Bay Lightning prediction — The Panthers were unanimous picks to win 4–3, but Tampa Bay took it 3–2.

Vancouver Canucks vs Seattle Kraken prediction — Seattle were expected to win 4–5 by all ten models, yet Vancouver won 4–3.

Ottawa Senators vs Montreal Canadiens prediction — Only six of ten models backed Montreal, and Ottawa won 4–3. The consensus had predicted a 3–4 Canadiens win.

Chicago Blackhawks vs St. Louis Blues prediction — Nine of ten models favoured St. Louis, but Chicago won 3–2. The consensus had expected a 3–4 Blues win.

New York Islanders vs New Jersey Devils prediction — Eight of ten models picked the Islanders, but New Jersey won 4–1. The consensus had predicted a 3–2 home win.

Brynas vs Luleå prediction — Eight of ten models backed Luleå, but Brynas won 4–2. The consensus had expected a 2–3 away win.

Orebro vs Skellefteå prediction — A unanimous Skellefteå pick was blown away by Orebro's 3–0 win. Average confidence was 63 per cent.

Timrå vs Djurgarden prediction — Nine of ten models favoured Djurgarden, but Timrå won 3–2. The consensus had predicted a 2–3 away win.

Models of the day

Mistral Medium 3.5 and GLM 5.3 shared the best record, each calling 19 of 35 correctly. They were followed closely by GPT-5.6 Luna, Claude Sonnet 5, Qwen 3.8 Max and Grok 4.6, all on 18 of 35. DeepSeek V4 Pro, MiMo V2.5 Pro and Gemini 3.8 Flash managed 17 of 35, while Kimi K3 finished bottom with 16 of 35.

Full results

• KHL: Barys Astana 3–6 Niznekamsk — consensus Niznekamsk win (100%) RIGHT
• KHL: Magnitogorsk 2–1 Bars Kazan — consensus Magnitogorsk win (100%) RIGHT
• KHL: Cherepovets 3–1 Sochi — consensus Cherepovets win (100%) RIGHT
• KHL: Dynamo Moscow 1–3 Salavat Ufa — consensus Dynamo Moscow win (100%) WRONG
• KHL: Shanghai 2–1 Dinamo Minsk — consensus Dinamo Minsk win (60%) WRONG
• KHL: Spartak Moscow 2–4 Yekaterinburg — consensus Spartak Moscow win (100%) WRONG
• Liiga: Vaasan Sport 1–2 Karpat — consensus Karpat win (100%) RIGHT
• Liiga: Tappara 2–4 SaiPa — consensus Tappara win (100%) WRONG
• Liiga: Hameenlinna 5–4 Assat — consensus Hameenlinna win (100%) RIGHT
• Liiga: KalPa 1–2 Lukko — consensus KalPa win (90%) WRONG
• Liiga: Kiekko-Espoo 4–1 Jokerit — consensus Jokerit win (100%) WRONG
• Liiga: KooKoo 3–5 Jukurit — consensus KooKoo win (100%) WRONG
• Liiga: Pelicans 2–1 IFK Helsinki — consensus IFK Helsinki win (100%) WRONG
• National League: Zurich 3–2 EHC Kloten — consensus Zurich win (100%) RIGHT
• NHL: Minnesota Wild 1–2 Dallas Stars — consensus Minnesota Wild win (60%) WRONG
• NHL: Colorado Avalanche 5–2 Winnipeg Jets — consensus Colorado Avalanche win (60%) RIGHT
• NHL: Buffalo Sabres 1–3 Pittsburgh Penguins — consensus Pittsburgh Penguins win (80%) RIGHT
• NHL: Nashville Predators 0–6 Carolina Hurricanes — consensus Carolina Hurricanes win (90%) RIGHT
• NHL: Los Angeles Kings 6–2 Anaheim Ducks — consensus Los Angeles Kings win (100%) RIGHT
• NHL: Philadelphia Flyers 1–5 Washington Capitals — consensus Washington Capitals win (100%) RIGHT
• NHL: Utah Mammoth 2–0 Colorado Avalanche — consensus Colorado Avalanche win (100%) WRONG
• NHL: Florida Panthers 2–3 Tampa Bay Lightning — consensus Florida Panthers win (100%) WRONG
• NHL: Vancouver Canucks 4–3 Seattle Kraken — consensus Seattle Kraken win (100%) WRONG
• NHL: Ottawa Senators 4–3 Montreal Canadiens — consensus Montreal Canadiens win (60%) WRONG
• NHL: Montreal Canadiens 4–2 Ottawa Senators — consensus Montreal Canadiens win (100%) RIGHT
• NHL: Detroit Red Wings 2–4 Columbus Blue Jackets — consensus Columbus Blue Jackets win (60%) RIGHT
• NHL: Chicago Blackhawks 3–2 St. Louis Blues — consensus St. Louis Blues win (90%) WRONG
• NHL: New York Islanders 1–4 New Jersey Devils — consensus New York Islanders win (80%) WRONG
• SHL: Brynas 4–2 Luleå — consensus Luleå win (80%) WRONG
• SHL: IF Bjorkloven 0–5 Farjestad — consensus Farjestad win (100%) RIGHT
• SHL: Rögle 2–1 Linkoping — consensus Rögle win (100%) RIGHT
• SHL: Orebro 3–0 Skellefteå — consensus Skellefteå win (100%) WRONG
• SHL: Malmo 1–2 Frölunda — consensus Frölunda win (90%) RIGHT
• SHL: Timrå 3–2 Djurgarden — consensus Djurgarden win (90%) WRONG
• SHL: Vaxjo 7–5 HV 71 — consensus Vaxjo win (100%) RIGHT

For today's hockey predictions, visit the TuringStats predictions page.

Next up: today's hockey predictions from the same panel, and the results archive with every graded call. Forecasts are informational only.