The third night of the young NHL season was its busiest yet, with all 30 clubs hitting the ice. Naturally, that meant we saw plenty of exciting hockey coast-to-coast. And not everyone was happy with how it turned out.
NHL scores: Capitals, Coyotes lead big night of upsets on frenetic NHL Saturday
All 30 NHL teams contributed to a wild first Saturday of the season.
Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
Interestingly, we’re just three games into the NHL season and many players are already expressing frustration with their team’s play.
Those voices can be heard in Boston, where one of the NHL's biggest contenders turned in a lackluster performance against Washington. Disappointment has to be seeping into the Kings and Blackhawks locker rooms as well after both teams struggled against lesser competition on Saturday. Even Dallas Stars captain Jamie Benn called out his team for a sluggish effort in Nashville. It appears the postseason pressures are going to affect every team from the first puck drop of the season.
A couple of teams proved how one win can alleviate those concerns early in the year. Anaheim put together a solid win against Detroit to right the ship after a disastrous opening night in Pittsburgh. Barry Trotz and Alex Ovechkin both experienced firsts in Boston, as Ovi's first goal of the season helped Washington seal Trotz's first win as head coach. And nothing makes up for a blowout loss to the Jets on opening night like beating the defending champions in overtime. Congrats, Phoenix Arizona.
All the NHL Scores
Penguins 5, Maple Leafs 2
Islanders 4, Hurricanes 3
Blue Jackets 5, Rangers 2
Blackhawks 6, Sabres 2
Predators 4, Stars 1
Coyotes 3, Kings 2 (OT)
Sharks 3, Jets 0
Three things we learned
1. The first week has not been kind to a few contenders. Boston lost back-to-back games for the first time since January after getting shutout by the Capitals. That led to captain Zdeno Chara saying things like "unacceptable" and "embarrassed" afterward. After getting heavily outplayed in Dallas on Thursday, the Blackhawks followed up with another lackluster 40 minutes in Buffalo before pulling away to win. And the defending champion Kings are still winless after an overtime loss in Arizona. Strong starts are important ,even for the NHL's elite, and it's safe to say those three are stumbling out of the gate.
2. Philly still can't get out of its own way. The Flyers seem to have developed a habit of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory during the last few years and it came back to bite them again on Saturday. Even on a night when Wayne Simmonds pots two goals and Ray Emery stood on his head with 35 saves, the Flyers still managed to squander a three-goal lead and lose in overtime. Philly has the pieces in place to make noise in the Eastern Conference, but only if it can figure out how to win consistently. This was not a good sign.
3. The Penguins still have Crosby and Malkin. Pittsburgh is a team constantly surrounded by question marks, whether in goal, the front office or the supporting cast. But at the end of the day, Pittsburgh will always go where Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin take them. The two star centers had another stellar night, each potting a goal and two assists.
Impact Moment
There’s really only one option for this category: the Maple Leafs got to use their deodorant zamboni:
I mean, come on. That’s a game-changer.
Stat of the Night
A team with Matt Duchene, Nate MacKinnon, Ryan O'Reilly, Gabriel Landeskog + Jarome Iginla has yet to score in 120 minutes this season. #Avs
— Mike Zeisberger (@Zeisberger) October 12, 2014
Post to Post:
- Dallas got another fast start ... and another loss.
- Sometimes you get those bounces. Columbus sure did.
- The Devils got another win on Saturday, thanks in part to three solid lines.
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