NHL Scores: Columbus remains in winless disarray, Canadiens remain unbeaten

A tale of two cities.

by Patrick Iversen

Oct 18, 2015, 2:00 PM UTC

Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports

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NHL Saturday: Phil Kessel bests Maple Leafs in first reunion

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have hit rock bottom.

It probably seems like an overstatement at this point in the year, but when a team breaks out to an 0-6 record to start a season it’s hard to understate anything about their performance. And it’s not like the winless record is a fluke or a product of bad luck in close games.

Columbus has just looked bad. Forwards don't track back to help out the defense. Jack Eichel, who is 18-years-old, made them look foolish the other night simply because he exerted a little more effort than the Blue Jackets did defensively. goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, a former Vezina Trophy winner, sports a grisly 5.07 goals against average and a putrid .835 save percentage in five games played. He can't stop anything.

It’s a moment of crisis for the entire organization, from general manager Jarmo Kekalainen all the way down to newly minted captain Nick Foligno. But maybe they need only look at their complete opposite for insipiration.

The Montreal Canadiens are off to a brilliant start, a 6-0-0 record leaving them the only undefeated team left in the NHL. Not much has changed roster-wise for the Habs since last season. Carey Price is still as present and dominant as ever, and the team still relies on a cast of characters with wildly different skill sets to score each night. But they've shown off much improved possession skills thanks to some changes they've made to their systems.

One change was enough to spark the Canadiens. The same might be said for the Blue Jackets. Whether that means firing Todd Richards (as many expect them to do) or something different and less drastic is something they’re going to have to find out soon. The farther out of the race they are by the end of the month the bleaker their chances of sniffing the playoffs become.

Scores

Predators 4, Senators 3 (SO)

Canadiens 4, Red Wings 1

Penguins 2, Maple Leafs 1

Lightning 2, Sabres 1

Stars 4, Panthers 2

Capitals 4, Hurricanes 1

Islanders 6, Sharks 3

Blackhawks 4, Blue Jackets 1

Bruins 5, Coyotes 3

Oilers 5, Flames 2

3 things we learned

1. Phil Kessel makes funny faces when he plays hockey

He also scores sometimes too, though he didn’t find the back of the net in his first reunion with the Maple Leafs on Saturday. His first game against Toronto in Pittsburgh won’t be nearly as emotionally-charged as his literal return to Toronto, but the win on Saturday was a milestone nonetheless. Besides, it left us with this great quote from one of his former teammates:

Jake Gardiner says it was "weird" seeing Phil Kessel on the ice in a #pens uniform. pic.twitter.com/niH1cnKqF1
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) October 18, 2015

2. Edmonton has found something with Yakupov and McDavid

The duo played on the same line again on Saturday and were completely magical. Both scored, and McDavid in particular was sensational all night long. Edmonton earned its first win of the season thanks to the magic those two created. That includes this ridiculous chance by McDavid late:

3. The NHL Department of Player safety isn’t messing around

Another night, another swift suspension dealt to a player accused of an illegal hit. This time it was Colorado defenseman Tyson Barrie, who left his skates to injure Ducks defenseman Simon Despres' head on Friday. The next night he was given a two game suspension and a detailed video explaining why. This week featured two suspension-worthy hits and the league dealt with them quickly and diligently. You can't ask for a better start to the season in that area.