NHL roundup: Knights open 5-0-0 after grounding Jets

 

[October 20, 2023]  Jack Eichel scored the go-ahead goal on a power play with 4:36 remaining as the visiting Vegas Golden Knights set a franchise record with their fifth straight win to begin a season, beating the Winnipeg Jets 5-3 on Thursday night.

Vegas' Jonathan Marchessault, Brett Howden, Alec Martinez and Nicolas Roy also scored.

Shea Theodore had three assists, Mark Stone added two assists and Logan Thompson finished with 36 saves for the Golden Knights, who tied the NHL record for best start to a season for a reigning Stanley Cup champion. Vegas joined the 1985-86 Edmonton Oilers and the 1920-21 Ottawa Senators with their 5-0-0 start.

Alex Iafallo scored twice, Nikolaj Ehlers had two assists and Cole Perfetti also scored for Winnipeg. Laurent Brossoit, who was in goal when the Golden Knights eliminated the Jets in five games in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs last season, made 22 saves in his Jets debut.

Coyotes 6, Blues 2

Clayton Keller got the better of his hometown team by recording a goal and an assist to fuel visiting Arizona past St. Louis.

Born in the St. Louis suburb of Chesterfield, Mo., Keller collected his second goal of the season early in the second period. He also set up Nick Schmaltz's tally later in the period for his 26th career point (11 goals, 15 assists) in 25 games against his hometown team.

Schmaltz and defenseman Sean Durzi each had a goal and an assist, and Jason Zucker, Nick Bjugstad and defenseman Sean Durzi each scored on the power play. Michael Carcone also scored, Matias Maccelli and Juuso Valimaki each notched two assists, and Connor Ingram made 24 saves as the Coyotes concluded their season-opening road trip with a 2-2-0 record. Jakub Vrana collected a goal and an assist, Sammy Blais also scored and Joel Hofer turned aside 36 shots in his season debut for the Blues.

Predators 4, Rangers 1

Ryan O'Reilly and Filip Forsberg scored power-play goals in the second period as visiting Nashville earned a dominating victory over New York.

Nashville's Cole Smith produced his first career two-goal game by scoring twice in less than five minutes during the opening period. Tyson Barrie contributed two assists as the Predators improved to 2-3-0 under new coach Andrew Brunette.

Adam Fox scored a power-play goal for New York, which also saw a goal by Vincent Trocheck disallowed in the third period because of an offside call.

Panthers 3, Maple Leafs 1

Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Kevin Stenlund each scored their first goals with Florida, and Sergei Bobrovsky made 29 saves as the Panthers won their home opener, defeating Toronto.\

Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews, who entered the night leading the NHL with six goals, was held without a point.

Florida, which went 0-for-4 on its power play, won its second straight game. Sam Reinhart tallied an empty-net goal just before the game ended, and he and Aleksander Barkov had assists for Florida, which won its home opener for the fifth straight season.

Flames 4, Sabres 3

Adam Ruzicka broke a deadlock early in the third period and visiting Calgary snapped a two-game skid with a win over struggling Buffalo.

Oct 14, 2023; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Vegas Golden Knights center Jack Eichel (9) awaits a face off against the Anaheim Ducks during the second period at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports/File Photo

Jonathan Huberdeau, Walker Duehr and Blake Coleman also scored for the Flames, who had dropped the first two affairs of a five-game road trip. Goaltender Dan Vladar stopped 24 shots to net the victory in his first start of the season. Calgary has won six consecutive games in Buffalo.

Erik Johnson, Tage Thompson and JJ Peterka replied for the Sabres, who have lost three of four games to start the season. Goalie Devon Levi made 32 saves.

Flyers 4, Oilers 1

Cam Atkinson scored two goals to lift host Philadelphia over Edmonton.

Sean Walker and Joel Farabee added one goal apiece for the Flyers, who won their second game in a row and for the third time in four games.

Zach Hyman scored the lone goal for the Oilers, who have lost three of four games to open the season. Star forward Connor McDavid was held without a shot on goal.

Kings 7, Wild 3

Pierre-Luc Dubois scored two first-period goals in 12 seconds, and Los Angeles pulled away against Minnesota in Saint Paul, Minn.

Carl Grundstrom, Vladislav Gavrikov, Trevor Moore, Adrian Kempe and Blake Lizotte also scored for the Kings, who posted back-to-back wins for the first time this season.

Connor Dewar, Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek scored for Minnesota.

Lightning 4, Canucks 3

Nikita Kucherov had two goals, including one of two power-play tallies, as Tampa Bay beat visiting Vancouver for the seventh straight time.

Nicholas Paul scored on the power play and had an assist, and Michael Eyssimont found the net for the Lightning, who won for the first time in four games. In the lineup for the first time in three games after a lower-body injury, team captain Steven Stamkos notched an assist.

J.T. Miller had a goal and an assist, and Brock Boeser and Tyler Myers had goals for the Canucks. Thatcher Demko (1-2-0) made 32 saves.

--Field Level Media

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