The Devils beat the Kings 2-1 after penalties in what was a game all about the netminders. Brodeur suffered a shoulder injury in the 1st period that saw him replaced by Hedberg for the remainder of the game. He fended off all 16 shots he faced after Gagne had put the puck past Brodeur early on before suffering his injury. At the other end Jonathon Quick was the star of the game making 36 saves of 37 shots but failing to stop the Devils in the shootout – his first loss on them for over a season after a 10-0 record last time round.
In Long Island the New York Islanders thumped the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-1, with John Tavares leading the way with a 2+2 evening. The Islanders took the 1st period 4-1 and completed the scoring 7 minutes into the 2nd, at which point former Islander Dwayne Roloson was pulled from the net. Tavares missed most of the 3rd period with cramp in his quad – if he had played that period and remained on fire he could have bolstered his points production further!
The Bell Centre was another hockey arena to see a lot of 1st period action last night. Unfortunately for the home fans it was the Calgary Flames who were amongst the goals as they took a 3-1 1st period lead and went on to complete a 4-1 victory over the Canadiens. Miikka Kiprusoff in the Flames net winning to overtake Mike Vernon as the Flames netminder with the most wins for the franchise.
In Pittsburgh it was a much closer game as the visiting Capitals edged out the home team in OT. It was Washington’s 3rd straight victory at the start of the season with all 3 being won in the extra OT period. Denis Wideman this time got the game winning goal on the powerplay after Washington had spent a lot of time during regulation shutting down the powerplay offense of Pittsburgh. The good news for the home team was that Malkin returned to the line up and earlier in the day it had been announced that Crosby could now take part in full contact training sessions.
Phoenix got their first win of the season at the expense of Nashville, who suffered their first defeat. Another game that was won in the 1st period as the Coyotes took a 3-0 lead and never looked back, both teams exchanging goals in the 2nd and 3rd for a 5-2 Coyotes victory.
Minnesota Wild managed a 2-1 via a shoot out against the Edmonton Oilers. Both the Oilers opening games have now been decided via penalty shots with them coming out with a 1-1 record in them. Khabibulin was the star for the Oilers making 35 saves, 14 of them in the 3rd period as the Wild outshot the visitors in that final period 14-1.
Winnipeg’s 1st road game of the season and only game against the Blackhawks saw them narrowly defeated 4-3. The Jets had taken an early 2-0 lead in the 1st period only to see the Blackhawks tie them 2-2 by the end of it and take a 4-2 lead by the midway point of the 2nd. Jim Slater getting the Jets off to that flying start with his first 2 goals of the season. Winnipeg did make it 4-3 before the end of the 2nd with Kyle Wellwood getting his first for the club but the game remained at that scoreline.
In Dallas it was Kari Lehtonen again who was star of the show as he faced a lot of rubber (38 shots to be precise) and managed to fend off 36 of them in a 3-2 win for the Stars. Dallas had taken a 3-0 lead in the 2nd only for the Blues to make a spirited comeback and by the early stages of the 3rd period they were only chasing a 1 goal deposit. However, that chase never came to fruition and the Stars held on for their win.
That leaves Colorado and Ottawa as the last game not covered yet here on Get Real Hockey – Hopefully I will bring you an indepth report on that game later in the day!
by Adam Yates
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