NHL Scores: Mason Raymond carries Maple Leafs to shootout win

Toronto’s newest forward continued his hot start, propelling the Leafs to a comeback win over Ottawa.

Oct 6, 2013, 1:00 PM UTC

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No David Clarkson? No Nikolai Kulemin? Down two goals late? No problem for Mason Raymond.

Raymond is officially on fire after a three-point night in Toronto that almost single-handily propelled the Leafs to a 4-3 shootout win over the Ottawa Senators. He did it with slick passing, timely positioning and cheeky spin moves. Toronto's depth up-front has been tested, and so far the Leafs are passing with flying colors.

Other teams could not overcome their woes on Saturday. Edmonton couldn't make up for another dismal performance from goalie Devan Dubnyk. Detroit had no answers for Boston's penalty kill and the Panthers couldn't overcome how bad they are. (No offense, Panthers fans. But you know it and we know it.)

All the NHL Scores

Bruins 4, Red Wings 1

Maple Leafs 5, Senators 4 (SO)

Canadiens 4, Flyers 1

Blue Jackets 3, Islanders 2 (SO)

Penguins 4, Sabres 1

Lightning 3, Blackhawks 2 (SO)

Blues 7, Panthers 0

Stars 2, Capitals 1

Ducks 4, Wild 3 (OT)

Sharks, Coyotes

Canucks 6, Oilers 2

Sharks 4, Coyotes 1

Five Questions

On Friday we asked you five burning questions about the day’s games. These are you cool, soothing answers.

1. How will Danny Briere play against his old team?

The former Flyer did not have one of his better days. Briere was called for hooking twice and was generally uninvolved on offense for Montreal. When the Flyers cut him they had to figure he was past his prime; the fact Montreal’s scoring came from their youngsters while Briere struggled didn’t do much to disprove that.

2. Will the Ducks' defense show up Saturday against Minnesota?

I’ll give them this: they didn’t play half as bad as they did in their opener. But allowing Minnesota to climb back after such a slow start was disappointing, even though Anaheim came out on top.

3. Will the Oilers redeem themselves after their collapse on Thursday night?

Not at all. Devan Dubnyk was terrible once again, allowing five goals on 31 shots to drop his save percentage to a dismal .830. But the players in front of him weren't much better, missing assignments in their own end while barely testing Roberto Luongo owith their offense. It's about as bad a start to the season as Oiler fans could've imagined.

4. Who wins the first game of the Boston-Detroit divison rivalry?

Boston, on the strength of its special teams. Little Torey Krug and big Zdeno Chara both contributed with power play goals, and the penalty kill stood tall against the Red Wings twice.

5. How will the Leafs adapt without Nikolai Kulemin?

Well, they have this Mason Raymond guy. And he’s pretty good. At least he was on Saturday, notching a goal, two assists and the game-winning shootout goal to carry the Leafs to victory. That’s four points in three games for Raymond. Not bad for a guy that Vancouver let walk away without a hint of a contract extension.

Impact Moment

What initially looked like an accidental three-player pileup in front of Tuukka Rask turned out to be the most controversial moment of the night. Brad Marchand was briefly injured when Justin Abdelkader made one of the most ambiguously legal hits you'll ever see in a hockey game.

He left his feet, but was it an accident? Was he trying to go after Marchand’s head? Did someone sprinkle magic fairy dust on him from the rafters, causing him to gain the ability of flight at the exact moment he crossed paths with Marchand?

We’ll never know. But at least Shanahan weighed in with his ruling.