NHL Recaps: Preds maul Bolts, Panarin rescues Rangers, Robertson leads Leafs, and more scores
Anthony Scultore
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NHL Recaps: September 30, 2022
September has come to a close and although training camps are only halfway through we are now in the NHL’s opening month.
The season will begin on October 7-8 in Prague with the NHL Global Series. It will mark the NHL’s first regular season matches in Europe since 2019 as The Nashville Predators and San Jose Sharks compete in two games.
Hockey action in North America will begin on October 11 with the Lightning visiting the New York Rangers and the Vegas Golden Knights playing at the Los Angeles Kings. The Lightning beat the Rangers in six games in last season’s Eastern Conference finals.
Now let’s take a look at Friday night’s preseason action.
NHL Recaps: Preds maul winless Bolts
Predators 7 vs Lightning 1
Matt Duchene and Tanner Jeannot each had a field day for the Preds mauling the Bolts defense. Duchene notched 5 points (2G – 3A) and Jeannot picked up 4 (2G – 2A). Filip Forsberg recorded 3 assists with goalie Juuse Saros stopping 27 in the win. Brandon Hagel scored the lone Lightning goal. Tampa is now 0-3 in the preseason.
Rangers 2 vs Devils 1
Artemi Panarin played in his first exhibition contest and finally broke through on Mackenzie Blackwood, who made 35 saves in the losing effort. The game winner was tallied by defenseman K’Andre Miller, whose point shot deflected off of two Devils’ defenders and in to give the Devils their first loss of the preseason (3-1). Jack Hughes scored for Jersey off Louis Domingue (10 of 11) early in the second, but once Jaroslav Halak stepped in the door was slammed shut as he stopped all 15 shots sent his way.
Maple Leafs 6 vs Senators 3
Nicholas Robertson led the Maple Leafs with 2 goals and 1 assist as they doubled up the Senators. Former Sens defenseman Victor Mete added a goal and assist and Ilya Samsonov stopped 27 shots. Anton Forsberg went the distance for Ottawa stopping 33 of 38 shots he faced. Brady Tkachuk and Thomas Chabot had one assist each in the losing effort.
Capitals 2 vs Red Wings 0
Alex Ovechkin made his preseason debut but did not register a point. The Caps offense was led by veteran blue-liner John Carlson, who tallied a goal and an assist in the game. Darcy Kuemper and Charlie Lindgren combined for the 19 save shutout.
NHL Recaps: Sharks split two
Sharks 7 vs Golden Knights 3
The San Jose Sharks split their squads and then split their games starting with a big victory over the Golden Knights. Despite 2 Jack Eichel goals, their new goalie Adin Hill struggled in net stopping only 32 of 39 shots. Timo Meier led the Sharks with 4 assists and Erik Karlsson finished with 1 goal and 1 assist. James Reimer stopped 27 in the victory.
Ducks 4 vs Sharks 1
While concern still remains for Trevor Zegras, who was injured on a high hit in their last contest against the Yotes, the Ducks came away with an easy win on Friday. Derek Grant led the way with 2 points (1G – 1A) and free agent signing Frank Vatrano scored his first Ducks goal. John Gibson stopped 17 of 18 in his half of work. Logan Couture was the lone Shark scorer.
Oilers 2 vs Flames 1
Edmonton got solid goaltending by Calvin Pickard (14 of 14) and Jack Campbell (7 of 8) to edge Calgary. Leon Draisaitl and Brett Kulak scored for the Oilers and Dillon Dube notched one for the Flames.
