Huberdeau helps Panthers beat Capitals for 1st win
Wild top Stars as Predators hold off Flames NHL Results/Standings
WASHINGTON, Oct 20, (AP): Jonathan Huberdeau had a goal, two assists and the shootout winner as the Florida Panthers recovered after giving up a three-goal lead in the second period and beat the Washington Capitals 6-5 on Friday night for their first victory of the season.
In a wacky, back-and-forth game, Florida squandered a 4-1 advantage and allowed the tying goal with 1:25 left. The Panthers couldn’t score in overtime despite a power play but celebrated a win for the first time this season in their fifth game after Huberdeau beat Copley in the fourth round of the shootout.
Vincent Trocheck also had a goal and two assists and scored in the shootout for the Panthers. Backup goaltender Michael Hutchinson stopped 10 of the 11 shots he faced in regulation and overtime and made a couple of more saves in the shootout after replacing starter James Reimer.
Evgenii Dadonov, Colton Sceviour and Jared McCann also scored for the Panthers, who chased Stanley Cup winning goalie Braden Holtby with four goals on 11 shots. Holtby was hardly to blame as the victim of a handful of inexplicable mistakes and turnovers by his teammates.
Following John Carlson’s early goal, the Capitals tied it in the second period when Brett Connolly, Jakub Vrana and Devante Smith-Pelly scored in a span of less than 12 minutes.
Wild 3, Stars 1 In Dallas, Ryan Suter scored the winning goal in the third period and had two assists as Minnesota beat Dallas.
Dallas goalie Ben Bishop had stopped a shot by Eric Staal, but the puck went into the left corner. Suter sent the puck back in front, and it ricocheted in off the Stars’ Esa Lindell with 7:06 left.
Devan Dubnyk made 33 saves for Minnesota in a game that was scoreless until 36 seconds into the third period, when the Stars’ Jason Spezza scored his first of the season. He tipped in Miro Heiskanen’s shot from the left point.
Matt Dumba put in a loose rebound past Bishop at 9:37 of the third to tie the score.
Evgeny Kuznetsov #92 of the Washington Capitals checks Juho Lammikko #91 of the Florida Panthers during the second period at Capital One Arena
on Oct 19 in Washington, D.C. (AFP)
Bishop also finished with 33 saves, and Zach Parise scored into an empty net with 1 minute left.
Predators 5, Flames 3 In Calgary, Alberta, Zac Rinaldo scored the tie-breaking goal in the third period to lead Nashville to its fourth straight win.
Kevin Fiala and Filip Forsberg each had a goal and an assist, and Ryan Johansen and Craig Smith also scored for the Predators.
After Noah Hanifin got caught pinching, Rinaldo broke out on a 2-on- 1 with Ryan Hartman and hung onto the puck the whole way before beating Flames goalie Mike Smith on his blocker side with a perfect wrist shot into the top corner at 6:31 of the third to give Nashville a 4-3 lead.
Forsberg sealed the win with an empty-netter with 32 seconds left.