If nothing else, the 2014-15 NHL season has challenged our notions of what to expect each night in hockey. That unpredictability was in full effect on Saturday, as multiple teams and individuals defied what we’ve come to expect from them during the last few seasons.
NHL scores: Reimer, Pavelec turn in brilliant performances in backwards night of hockey
Everything you thought about the NHL was wrong.
In Toronto, the perennial contender Blackhawks used a relentless attack to try and wear down a normally suspect Maple Leafs blue line. It didn't work, mainly because the normally inconsistent James Reimer spit aside 45 shots for the win. Meanwhile, normally subpar goalie Ondrej Pavelec was busy beating Henrik Lundqvist at his own game by pitching a shutout.
And if that didn't make your brain crazy, all you had to do was flip over to the Arizona game, where the normally good Coyotes got shut out by a team that hadn't won a game all season. We haven't even mentioned the Panthers earning points in six straight games, the Avalanche dropping yet another loss and the Blues suddenly developing a legitimate goal-scoring threat.
It was one of the most backwards nights of the season. But at least we'll always have the Sabres to bring us some consistency every night.
All the NHL scores
Maple Leafs 3, Blackhawks 2
Panthers 2, Flyers 1
Devils 3, Blue Jackets 2
Penguins 5, Sabres 0
Hurricanes 3, Coyotes 0
Blues 3, Avalanche 2 (SO)
3 Things We Learned
1. Hey look, the Hurricanes finally won a game- What is going on with the Coyotes? The once-solid denizens of the Pacific Division have now lost consecutive games to the Panthers and Hurricanes and fell to 3-6-1 on the season. Arizona is suffering from a dangerous combination: the young blueliners are struggling, the offense doesn't have the firepower to support them and Mike Smith can't stop the bleeding all by himself. They need to figure things out quickly before they fall into a deep hole in their division.
2. A couple of embattled goaltenders were brilliant on Saturday. Reimer's role in Toronto has been in question ever since the Maple Leafs acquired Jonathan Bernier to be their starter, but it's hard to argue that Reimer hasn't earned another look. Reimer stopped 45 shots in a big win against the Blackhawks on Saturday. Elsewhere, Ondrej Pavelec produced a brilliant 38-save shutout against Henrik Lundqvist and the Rangers. Both goalies will wake up this morning more confident after those performances.
3. Vladimir Tarasenko looks like a bonafide scoring threat for the St. Louis Blues. The young winger scored twice in the Blues' shootout win over Colorado and came close to completing the hat trick. Tarasenko showed flashes of his skill in streaks last season but he seems to finally be putting it all together. St. Louis hasn't had a pure scoring threat in some time, so it's refreshing to see Tarasenko beginning to meet his high potential.
Impact Moment
The New York Rangers managed to lose two defensemen in one period. Minutes after Kevin Klein succumbed to a foot injury, captain Ryan McDonagh suffered a separated shoulder thanks to this hit from Evander Kane. (courtesy of @myregularface)
It sounds like McDonagh will only miss weeks instead of months, but the injury has to be concerning for New York, considering it’s the same shoulder he injured last season.
Stat of the Night
Sabres goal differential is -28. We're 12 games into the season.
— Joe Yerdon (@JoeYerdon) November 2, 2014 I’ve quickly gone from laughing at the Sabres to feeling bad for their utter ineptitude. If that swing seems quick, it was: IT’S ONLY BEEN 12 GAMES. We have a whole season left to switch between pity and hilarity.
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