Perhaps the most encouraging thing about the Detroit Red Wings 3-1-1 record heading into their game in Montreal on Tuesday night was the fact they had done it without the services of their best player, Pavel Datsyuk.
NHL scores: Red Wings lose Datsyuk’s debut; Predators remain unbeaten in regulation
Pavel Datsyuk was back for the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night and very nearly scored one of the prettiest goals of the season. Meanwhile, the Nashville Predators continued their fast start to the season.
Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports
He made his 2014-15 season debut on Tuesday and it turned out to be quite an eventful -- and controversial -- evening.
Datsyuk ended up recording an assist on Henrik Zetterberg’s second period goal to open the scoring, and then appeared to score what would have been one of the best goals of the young NHL season. The only problem? The goal was called off because of an interference call on Justin Abdelkader.
Red Wings coach Mike Babcock argued after the game that Montreal goalie Carey Price initiated the contact. It ended up being an important call in the game as the Red Wings never scored again and would go on to lose the game in overtime, 2-1, thanks to a David Desharnais goal.
Elsewhere on Tuesday, the Nashville Predators needed a shootout to knock off the Arizona Coyotes, 4-3, to run their record to 4-0-2 and remain one of just three teams in the league that has yet to lose a game in regulation, joining the Chicago Blackhawks (4-0 winners over Philadelphia on Tuesday) and the Washington Capitals.
The New York Islanders ended up getting blown out by Toronto thanks to a second period offensive explosion that saw Phil Kessel score a pair of goals. They also lost defenseman Thomas Hickey after he was cut in the face by the skate blade of Maple Leafs forward Mike Santorelli.
The Calgary Flames were 2-1 losers in overtime to the Tampa Bay Lightning, but at least their fans got to see Johnny Gaudreau skate through the entire Tampa Bay defense to set up Dennis Wideman on a highlight reel play.
All the NHL Scores
Ranger 4, Devils 3
Maple Leafs 5, Islanders 2
Jets 3, Hurricanes 1
Blackhawks 4, Flyers 0
Three Things We Learned
1. Rick Nash is still on fire. Remember last postseason when Nash could not buy a goal for the Rangers? Well, right now he's on the exact opposite kind of streak where everything he touches is ending up in the back of the net. It continued on Tuesday when he scored his league-leading eighth goal of the season to help the Rangers complete their stunning comeback against the New Jersey Devils.
2. The Flyers defense is still very bad. And that's a bad thing when you're facing the Chicago Blackhawks. The Flyers surrendered 43 shots on goal, 71 total shot attempts and four goals in a 4-0 loss on national TV. The bad news? On Wednesday they have to go to Pittsburgh to take on Sidney Crosby and the Penguins.
3. The Stars' offense can be very, very good, and it was on display against Vancouver as they came flying out of the gate and scored six goals in the first 24 minutes of the game. Tyler Seguin, Erik Cole, Ryan Garbutt, Jamie Benn and Shawn Horcoff all finished with two points in the 6-3 win that wasn't really as close as the final score. Once the Stars jumped out to their 6-1 lead, they pretty much took their foot off the gas and allowed Vancouver to get a couple of garbage time goals.
Impact Moment
Jonathan Drouin, arguably the top prospect in the NHL, recorded his first career point on Tuesday night and it could not have come at a better time. Drouin, in just his second NHL game, assisted on Valtteri Filppula's game-tying goal late in the third period to help the Lightning salvage an otherwise sloppy performance against the Calgary Flames. Drouin had an opportunity to win the game in overtime when he and Steven Stamkos had a two-on-none rush on Reto Berra, only to have Berra make an outstanding save. It wouldn't be enough for the Flames, though, as Ondrej Palat would score the game-winner just seconds later.
Bonus “impact” moment, with an emphasis on impact: Tommy Wingels takes on the much larger Zdeno Chara and flattens him.
Stat of the Night
It's worth repeating: It's taken Johnny Boychuk six games to top his career total in power points entering the season. He recorded his sixth power play point of the season during the Islanders' 5-2 loss to the Maple Leafs on Tuesday. He had just five power play points in his career before this season. It's an amazing start to the season for a guy that's known more for his defense than his ability to quarterback and lead a power play.
Post to Post
- How do the new faces in St. Louis compare to the ones that left?
- Marc-Andre Fleury, team defense and scoring chances.
- The Edmonton Oilers are a bad hockey team with salary cap problems.
- A year in the life of Columbus Blue Jackets forward Nick Foligno.
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