NHL Recaps: Ovechkin scores again; Sabres still unbeaten; Habs remain winless; and all results here
The Daily Goal Horn
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The NHL delivered 11 action-packed contests to hockey fans on Tuesday. Joel Eriksson Ek notched a hat trick for the Wild, while Leon Draisaitl netted two goals including the 200th of his career.
Speaking of goals, Alex Ovechkin scored again as he continues to climb the record books. And don’t look now, but the Buffalo Sabres won again to remain undefeated.
Let’s dive into all the action.
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NHL Recaps: Capitals 6, Avalanche 3
Evgeny Kuznetsov scored his first two goals of the season and added an assist to lift host Washington past Colorado. Captain Alex Ovechkin celebrated playing in his 1,200th career NHL game by scoring into an empty net late in the third period.
Nick Jensen collected a goal and an assist, Anthony Mantha, Nic Dowd also tallied and Ilya Samsonov made 24 saves in his season debut for the Capitals.
“That mistake I made on the power play, not even one guy said anything to me [about it] because there is a trust,” Kuznetsov said. “I appreciate it. I felt bad until we get that [Jensen] goal, and then when I score second one, that’s when I was like, ‘OK, I get that mistake back.'”
via NHL.com
J.T. Compher had a goal and an assist and Mikko Rantanen and Darren Helm also scored for Colorado, which opened its three-game road trip with a second straight loss. Darcy Kuemper logged 34 saves.
Wild 6, Jets 5 (OT): Eriksson Ek nets hat trick
Joel Eriksson Ek’s overtime winner completed his hat trick and Mats Zuccarello scored twice and added two assists to lead the Minnesota Wild to an incredible 6-5 comeback victory over the Winnipeg Jets in their home opener on Tuesday in Saint Paul, Minn.
Marcus Foligno also scored for the Wild, who have won three straight to start the season. Goalie Cam Talbot stopped 25 shots. Minnesota erased four deficits, including a two-goal hole in the final five minutes of the third period, to force overtime.
Eriksson Ek, who forced overtime by scoring with the goalie pulled and 59 seconds left in regulation, completed a three-way passing play on an odd-man rush with 90 seconds left in OT.
Kyle Connor scored twice in a three-point game while Andrew Copp scored once and added two assists for the Jets, who have lost three straight games to start season. Josh Morrissey and Pierre-Luc Dubois also scored, and goaltender Connor Hellebuyck stopped 38 shots.
Oilers 6, Ducks 5: Draisaitl nets two
Leon Draisaitl had two goals and two assists to help Edmonton defeat visiting Anaheim.
“You don’t want to give up five goals ever, that means you have to scramble offensively to win a game,” Draisaitl said after the game. “We don’t want to be a team like that. Obviously, the two points are big, we needed that, but there are lots of things we can do defensively.”
Zack Kassian also scored twice, Connor McDavid had a goal and two assists and Evan Bouchard added a goal and assist for the Oilers, who have won their first three games. Edmonton goalie Mike Smith yielded four goals on 15 shots before he was replaced by Mikko Koskinen, who stopped 20 of 21 shots the rest of the way.
Sam Steel and Kevin Shattenkirk scored two goals each, Nicolas Deslauriers also scored and Anthony Stolarz made 31 saves for the Ducks.
Sharks 5, Canadiens 0: Habs woes continue
Rookie Jonathan Dahlen scored his first two NHL goals and drew a penalty that led to a power-play tally as San Jose blanked host Montreal for its second straight win to start the season.
Adin Hill made 21 saves to post his first shutout with the Sharks since being acquired in an offseason trade with Arizona. Timo Meier and Erik Karlsson each added a goal and two assists, Kevin Labanc also scored and Logan Couture had two assists.
Montreal goalie Jake Allen, playing while Carey Price is in the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program, stopped 20 of 25 shots.
“I think every guy in here knows that this is not good enough,” Habs defenseman Jeff Petry said. “So if it comes down to [having a players-only meeting] and we have to do that, we shouldn’t be in that situation four games into the year.”
Predators 2, Kings 1: Saros stops Kings
Tanner Jeannot scored the tiebreaking goal at 5:06 of the third period as Nashville rallied to defeat visiting Los Angeles.
Matt Duchene also scored and goaltender Juuse Saros made 25 saves for the Predators, who earned their first victory in three games this season.
Los Angeles’ Anze Kopitar scored his fifth goal of the campaign, tied with Detroit’s Tyler Bertuzzi for the NHL lead. Goalie Calvin Petersen, who was celebrating his 27th birthday, stopped 29 of 31 shots.
Stars 2, Penguins 1 (SO): Radulov wins it
Alexander Radulov scored the deciding goal in a shootout to give visiting Dallas a win over Pittsburgh.
Radulov, the last of six shooters, froze Pittsburgh goaltender Tristan Jarry by holding onto the puck, then crossed him up with a backhander to seal the win. Joe Pavelski also beat Jarry in the shootout. Jeff Carter was the only Penguins shooter to beat Dallas goaltender Braden Holtby.
Michael Raffl scored a regulation goal for Dallas, and Holtby made 27 saves through regulation and overtime. John Marino scored for Pittsburgh, which had won five straight games between the clubs. Holtby stopped 27 shots.
Devils 4, Kraken 2: Jack Hughes injured
Dawson Mercer scored his first NHL goal 5:02 into the first period for New Jersey, which overcame an early injury to star Jack Hughes to beat expansion Seattle in Newark, N.J.
Damon Severson, Jimmy Vesey and Pavel Zacha also scored for the Devils, who have won each of their first two games. Jonathan Bernier made 27 saves. Hughes left after absorbing a hard check into the boards with 1:06 left in the first period.
Riley Sheahan and Jared McCann scored and Joey Daccord recorded 29 saves for the Kraken, who went 1-3-1 on their inaugural road trip.
“He’s day to day right now,” Devils coach Lindy Ruff said of Hughes’ injury. “He’ll be evaluated tomorrow, and we’ll see where he’s at. I’ve had my share of shoulder injuries. I know when you stick your arm out, something bad can happen, sometimes.”
Panthers 4, Lightning 1: Welcome to the NHL Anton!
Rookie Anton Lundell scored his first goal and added an assist as Florida beat host Tampa Bay in the first of four regular-season meetings between the in-state rivals.
Aleksander Barkov scored a goal and added an assist, Anthony Duclair scored into an empty net, and Sam Reinhart notched two assists for Florida, which is 3-0-0 for the second straight season. Rookie goalie Spencer Knight stopped 30 of 31 shots.
Brayden Point recorded his first goal, Andrei Vasilevskiy surrendered three markers on 31 shots and defenseman Ryan McDonagh played in his 200th game for the Lightning.
Islanders 4, Blackhawks 1: Isles get on track
Ilya Sorokin stopped a career-best 39 shots and Oliver Wahlstrom scored twice in a three-goal third period to boost New York to a victory at Chicago.
New York earned its first win of the season despite being outshot 40-29. The Islanders benefitted from Wahlstrom’s first career multi-goal game and a stellar outing from Sorokin, who lost the bid for his fourth career shutout with 26 seconds to play on MacKenzie Entwistle’s goal.
Anthony Beauvillier and Cal Clutterbuck also scored for the Islanders. Marc-Andre Fleury finished with 25 saves for Chicago.
Sabres 5, Canucks 2: Buffalo rallies
Jeff Skinner and Tage Thompson scored 23 seconds apart early in the third period to break a tie as Buffalo remained undefeated with a victory over visiting Vancouver.
Kyle Okposo and Zemgus Girgensons each had a goal and an assist, Dylan Cozens had a pair of assists and Rasmus Asplund added an empty-net goal for Buffalo, which improved to 3-0-0 for the first time since 2008. Craig Anderson finished with 32 saves.
Bo Horvat and Justin Dowling scored goals for Vancouver, which took its third loss in four games to start a season-opening, coast-to-coast, six-game road trip. Thatcher Demko made 38 saves for the Canucks.
“You stand here happy to be 3-0, but you’re in the NHL; you just take the points and move on,” Sabres coach Don Granato said. “You take the points where you can get them, when you can get them and you know that you’ve got to work the next day. I think our guys have that perspective. They enjoy being around each other.”
Red Wings 4, Blue Jackets 1: Columbus takes first loss
Lucas Raymond scored his first NHL goal and added an assist as host Detroit topped Columbus. The 19-year-old left winger, the fourth pick in the 2020 draft, retreated to the locker room in the late going after taking a hard hit.
Tyler Bertuzzi supplied his fifth goal of the season after scoring four in the Red Wings’ opener against Tampa Bay. Vladislav Namestnikov and Adam Erne added empty-net goals for Detroit, and Thomas Greiss made 22 saves.
Boone Jenner scored the lone Columbus goal, and Joonas Korpisalo stopped 41 shots.
–Field Level Media