NHL Scores: No more unbeaten teams, Bruins beat Thomas

Thanks to the Dallas Stars and Detroit Red Wings there are no longer any unbeaten teams in the NHL.

The Stars needed a shootout to knock off the Sharks, 4-3, ending their six-game winning streak to start the season while the Colorado Avalanche suffered their first loss under Patrick Roy by losing to their long-time rivals from Detroit, 4-2. The biggest story to come out of that game was Red Wings defenseman Niklas Kronwall having to leave on a stretcher after he was hit from behind by Cody McLeod. He suffered a concussion as a result of the hit while McLeod will now have to wait to hear from the NHL for any supplemental discipline. He was ejected from the game.

While the Avalanche and Sharks suffered their first losses of the season, there remains one winless team in the NHL as the New Jersey Devils fell to the Ottawa Senators thanks in large part to another dreadful performance from Martin Brodeur.

Good news for the Devils: They’re probably not playing as poorly as their 0-4-3 record would indicate, and even though they remain winless they are still not in last place in the league. That honor goes to the Philadelphia Flyers who fell to 1-7-0 on Thursday with a 4-1 loss to the Penguins.

In the night’s other big game the Boston Bruins faced off against their old friend, Tim Thomas, and beat him 3-2 thanks to a last minute goal from Reilly Smith.

Canucks 3, Sabres 0

Hurricanes 3, Maple Leafs 2

Islanders 3, Oilers 2

Penguins 4, Flyers 1

Canadiens 5, Blue Jackets 3

Senators 5, Devils 2

Lightning 3, Wild 1

Bruins 3, Panthers 2

Blues 3, Blackhawks 2

Kings 2, Predators 1

Stars 4, Sharks 3

Red Wings 4, Avalanche 2

1. Will Sidney Crosby add to his league-leading 12 points against the Philadelphia Flyers?

You can chalk up two more points for Crosby, who scored a goal and added an assist in Pittsburgh’s win. He has now scored in every single game the Penguins have played this season and is averaging two points per game. He is playing some of the best hockey he has ever played at the NHL level.

2. Will Claude Giroux add to his point total?

Giroux assisted on Philadelphia’s only goal of the night, directing a shot at the net that was deflected in by Wayne Simmonds with two seconds to play in the second period. The Flyers were getting dominated for the duration of the period but were able to take advantage of a late power play as Giroux managed to get a shot off just before the clock expired. It seemed like it might be the type of play that could jumpstart the Flyers, but Pittsburgh added two more goals in the third period to secure the win.

3. Can Chicago and St. Louis match the quality of their first meeting?

It was another close, tight game and it was very exciting, but it wasn’t quite as exciting as the first meeting. That says more about the quality of the first game than it does about the quality of this one. After all, it’s pretty hard to top a game that ends with a 3-on-1 odd-man rush to break a tie in the final 20 seconds. St. Louis did, however, beat the Blackhawks for a second straight time picking up the 3-2 shootout win.

4. How will Tim Thomas fare against the Boston Bruins?

They beat him. They scored two quick goals early to build up a 2-0 lead and then scored the game-winner in the final minute after the Panthers came back to tie the game. Even with the loss it was Thomas’ best performance of the season as he turned aside 34 of the 37 shots he faced. Unfortunately for he and the Panthers this shot in the final minute was not one of the ones he stopped.

5. Will the New Jersey Devils record their first win of the season?

No. And it was the same old story for the Devils. They played well, they had their chances, but they simply could not finish and they received terrible goaltender as Martin Brodeur continues to look like a player that is simply finished as a starter. It’s time for Cory Schneider to get the majority of the playing time. Right now.

Unfortunately it’s yet another bad hit from behind that results in a player leaving on a stretcher. The NHL already has an in-person hearing scheduled for Maxim Lapierre’s hit on Dan Boyle from earlier in the week. Will it have another one after Cody McLeod’s hit that concussed Niklas Kronwall?

The Philadelphia Flyers have played eight games this season and have yet to score more than two goals in a game. Their goals by game this season: 1, 1, 1, 2, 1, 2, 2, 1. The frustrating thing for the Flyers has to be that Steve Mason is actually playing pretty well in net (he was their best player on Thursday and kept them in the game long enough to give them a chance), which has to be an unexpected surprise, and they’re getting no offense to take advantage of it.