The Vegas Golden Knights achieved a new franchise record by winning their fifth consecutive game to start the season, defeating the Winnipeg Jets 5-3. Jack Eichel scored the winning goal on a power play with 4:36 remaining in the game. Other goal scorers for Vegas included Jonathan Marchessault, Brett Howden, Alec Martinez, and Nicolas Roy. Shea Theodore contributed with three assists, while Mark Stone had two assists. Goalie Logan Thompson made 36 saves to secure the win. With their 5-0-0 start, the Golden Knights joined the 1985-86 Edmonton Oilers and the 1920-21 Ottawa Senators in tying the NHL record for the best start to a season for a reigning Stanley Cup champion.
In another game, the Arizona Coyotes defeated the St. Louis Blues 6-2. Clayton Keller, a St. Louis native, scored a goal and provided an assist against his hometown team. Keller has now recorded 26 points (11 goals, 15 assists) in 25 games against the Blues. Nick Schmaltz, Sean Durzi, Jason Zucker, Nick Bjugstad, and Michael Carcone also contributed goals for the Coyotes. Matias Maccelli and Juuso Valimaki each had two assists, and Connor Ingram made 24 saves. For the Blues, Jakub Vrana and Sammy Blais scored, and Joel Hofer made 36 saves in his season debut.
The Nashville Predators achieved a dominant victory over the New York Rangers, winning 4-1. Ryan O’Reilly and Filip Forsberg scored power-play goals in the second period for Nashville. Cole Smith recorded his first career two-goal game within the first period. Tyson Barrie had two assists, and Adam Fox scored a power-play goal for the Rangers. Vincent Trocheck’s goal in the third period was disallowed due to an offside call.
The Florida Panthers won their home opener by defeating the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-1. Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Kevin Stenlund scored their first goals with Florida, and Sergei Bobrovsky made 29 saves. Sam Reinhart scored an empty-net goal, and Aleksander Barkov had an assist. Auston Matthews, who leads the NHL with six goals, was held without a point.
The Calgary Flames defeated the Buffalo Sabres 4-3, with Adam Ruzicka breaking a deadlock early in the third period. Jonathan Huberdeau, Walker Duehr, and Blake Coleman also scored for the Flames, while Dan Vladar made 24 saves. Erik Johnson, Tage Thompson, and JJ Peterka replied with goals for the Sabres, and Devon Levi made 32 saves.
The Philadelphia Flyers secured a 4-1 victory over the Edmonton Oilers, with Cam Atkinson scoring two goals. Sean Walker and Joel Farabee also contributed with goals for the Flyers, while Zach Hyman scored the lone goal for the Oilers. Connor McDavid, the star forward for the Oilers, did not manage to record a shot on goal.
In a high-scoring game, the Los Angeles Kings defeated the Minnesota Wild 7-3. Pierre-Luc Dubois scored two goals within 12 seconds in the first period, leading the way for the Kings. Carl Grundstrom, Vladislav Gavrikov, Trevor Moore, Adrian Kempe, and Blake Lizotte also added goals for the Kings. Connor Dewar, Kirill Kaprizov, and Joel Eriksson Ek scored for the Wild.
The Tampa Bay Lightning emerged victorious with a 4-3 win over the Vancouver Canucks. Nikita Kucherov scored two goals, including one on the power play. Nicholas Paul also scored on the power play, and Michael Eyssimont found the net for the Lightning. Steven Stamkos, returning from a lower-body injury, contributed with an assist. J.T. Miller, Brock Boeser, and Tyler Myers scored for the Canucks, while Thatcher Demko made 32 saves.
–Field Level Media
