It’s always interesting gauging fan reactions over the course of the first week of a new NHL season. Chock-full with fourteen games just four days into the 2015-16 campaign, Saturday presented a fantastic opportunity for watching knee-jerk reactions and hastily changed opinions.
NHL scores 2015: Lundqvist dazzles in Columbus, Leafs show life in loss
It’s only day four. Your reaction is probably wrong.
Russell LaBounty-USA TODAY Sports
Take Dallas, for instance. Fresh off a massively impressive shutout win over the Penguins, the Stars rolled into Colorado with their fan confidence riding high. Then they blew two-goal lead in the third by giving up five unanswered goals. Just like that, all of the optimism temporarily drained away.
At the other end of the spectrum lie the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Leafs had already dropped two straight deflating games before they hosted the Senators at home on Saturday. They are what we thought they were, right? Maybe not. Their comeback performance on Saturday indicates they might be more than what everyone expected.
Which is sort of the problem with early season worries. The team you’re rooting for now could be completely different by the end of the month, much less the end of the season.Analyze in ten game increments. Don’t panic. We’ve got six months of this left to go.
But let’s be honest. Toronto probably is what we think they are.
Scores
Senators 5, Maple Leafs 4 (OT)
Red Wings 4, Hurricanes 3
Rangers 5, Blue Jackets 2
Blackhawks 4, Islanders 1
Avalanche 6, Stars 3
Coyotes 2, Penguins 1
3 things we learned
1. Henrik Lundqvist is already in playoff form
The Rangers might have gotten out to a quick 3-0 lead in Columbus, but Lundqvist was the only reason that advantage didn’t evaporate at least three times. Lundqvist stopped 37 of 39 shots, and a good number of them were incredibly difficult to pull off. When making spectacular saves becomes routine, you know you’re having a good night.
2. The Leafs have some fight in them
You could've taken a poll of 100 hockey fans and none of them, to a man, would have predicted the Leafs would overcome a 3-0 deficit to the Senators on Saturday. And for awhile it seemed like they wouldn't But three straight goals from Joffrey Lupul, Tyler Bozak and Peter Holland evened things up late in the third period. Toronto responded again to another Ottawa goal with minutes to spare in regulation, and managed to push the Senators all the way to a shootout. It was an encouraging response to be sure for Mike Babcock's young squad this early in the season.
Perhaps not a sign of things to come. But a good sign nonetheless.
3. Brent Burns’s beard is still amazing.
— SB Nation NHL (@SBNationNHL) October 11, 2015 Impact Moment
This could already be the save of the year.
And this could be the goal of the year! Thanks for spoiling the awards for us early, you two.
are you kidding me Ovechkin? pic.twitter.com/ei7LNXXkQJ
— Stephanie (@myregularface) October 11, 2015
Stat of the Night
Via Elias: @FlaPanthers (4 goals in first 6:46 of 1st period) set a modern NHL record for fastest 4 goals to start a season. #PHIvsFLA
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) October 11, 2015 Post to Post
- Phil Kessel scored his first goal as a Penguin and it was a howitzer.
- The Bruins like shoving Canadiens faces into the ice.
- Finally, when Lundqvist wasn't making amazing saves he was searching for pucks in his pants.
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