Playoff rematches are fun, especially when they’re actually regular season games and you’re the ones getting revenge.
NHL Scores: Blues, Canadiens avenge playoff losses while Isles outpace Stars
Playoff revenge is sweet, even when it comes during the regular season.
Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports
That's the sort of cold dish served by the Canadiens and Blues on Saturday, with both teams taking down the clubs that eliminated them in the playoffs last year. In Montreal's case, things were never really that close. The Habs rode an emotional pregame all the way through to the end, and the New York Rangers just had no answer for goaltender Carey Price in a 3-1 loss. St. Louis had a tougher time putting away the Blackhawks, but thanks to a couple of unlikely goals from Ryan Reaves and Dmitrij Jaskin, the Blues were able to hold off a Chicago team that knocked them out in a rough Western Conference playoffs matchup last spring.
If you were missing some CORSI events last night, you probably need to go look in Uniondale. They're littered all over the ice in Nassau Coliseum. As exciting as the starts for the New York Islanders and Dallas Stars have been, the two teams sure don't bother playing much in their own ends of the ice. A torrid affair between the two clubs ended with a 7-5 win for the Isles and a Frans Nielsen hat trick. Believe it or not, that was actually the second time this season that Dallas lost a game in which they scored five goals. Not exactly a great trend, especially for a team many expect to contend in the playoffs this season.
All the NHL Scores
Islanders 7, Stars 5
Bruins 4, Maple Leafs 1
Canadiens 3, Rangers 1
Blues 3, Blackhawks 2
Three Things We Learned
1. All that talk about Barry Trotz stifling the Capitals' offensive abilities seems like it was unfounded. Washington is now 4-1-2 under their new coach after a 3-1 win over Calgary on Saturday and hold the second-best goal differential in the Eastern Conference. Trotz is keeping his scorers scoring while even getting Alex Ovechkin to block shots with his hand. It's a miracle!
2. Evgeni Malkin is doing just fine without James Neal. Neal has often been criticized for being a product of his centers, whether Brad Richards in Dallas or Malkin in Pittsburgh. His trade in the offseason to Nashville presented an excellent opportunity for him to prove his worth as an individual hockey player, and so far he's passed with flying colors. But when his old linemate visited Nashville and scored on Saturday, Neal learned he wasn't missed either.
3. Don't look now, but Tyler Seguin already holds the league lead in points through three weeks of the regular season and there's no reason to believe he'll let up any time soon. The 22-year-old center finished in the top five in scoring last season and is playing with the likes of Jason Spezza, Ales Hemsky and Jamie Benn this year. Right now his 1.62 points per game is only second to Sidney Crosby, a category he also finished in the top five in last year. He very well could steal the Art Ross this season.
Impact Moment
Fans in Ottawa, Toronto and Montreal sang the Canadian national anthem together to honor the victims of the shooting in Canada’s capital this week.
Stat of the Night
The Sharks have played the Sabres 31 times in 23 years as a franchise. They’ve lost 22 of those games.
Post to Post
- Never leave Pavel Datsyuk wide open.
- Brandon Bollig is really embracing his role as an instigator in Calgary, especially when he throws opponent sticks really high.
- Here's your guide to the official Tyler Seguin doughnut goal counter.
- Finally, this week's zany Connor McDavid rankings uncover a mass tanking conspiracy by the Toronto Maple Leafs.
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