Sabres don’t miss Eichel, win opener
Buffalo stuns Montreal with 5-1 rout, reversing last season’s roles
Victor Olofsson and Anders Bjork scored 2:01 apart in the second period, and the Buffalo Sabres followed a tumultuous summer with a stunning seasonopening 5-1 win over the injurydepleted Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night.
Overcoming initial questions of lacking offense and leadership with deposed captain Jack Eichel’s future in Buffalo uncertain, assistant captains Kyle Okposo and Zemgus Girgensons stepped up to generate Buffalo’s first two goals in a game the Sabres never trailed. Eichel was stripped of his captaincy last month and remains on injured reserve over a dispute with the team over how to treat a herniated disk which has sidelined him since March.
Forty-year-old Craig Anderson stopped 30 shots in his debut with his sixth NHL team.
The Sabres converted three of six power-play opportunities, with Tage Thompson pushing Buffalo’s lead to 5-1 early in the third period.
While Buffalo looked nothing like the team that finished last in the NHL standings for the fourth time in eight seasons, the Canadiens didn’t come close to resembling the team that reached the Stanley Cup Final, before losing in five games to Tampa Bay in July.
Stars 3, Rangers 2: Miro Heiskanen scored 1:38 into overtime and Dallas beat New York to spoil coach Gerard Gallant’s home debut. Heiskanen took a pass from Jamie Benn, swooped in on goalie Igor Shesterkin and buried a high shot to give the Stars a victory in their first game of the season.
Hurricanes 6, Islanders 3: Andrei Svechnikov had two goals and an assist to help Carolina beat New York in the season opener for both teams.
Panthers 5, Penguins 4 (OT): Carter Verhaeghe scored his second goal of the night 1:37 into overtime and Florida overcame a late two-goal deficit.
Blue Jackets 8, Coyotes 2: Oliver Bjorkstrand had two goals and two assists, Max Domi added a goal and two assists and Columbus made Brad Larsen a winner in his coaching debut.
Senators 3, Maple Leafs 2: Anton Forsberg made a career-high 46 saves and Ottawa scored three times in the first period in a season-opening victory over Toronto.
Lightning 7, Red Wings 6 (OT): Ondrej Palat scored with 2:17 left in overtime, lifting Tampa Bay to a comeback victory.
Kraken 4, Predators 3: Brandon Tanev scored his second goal into an empty net with 1:21 left, and Seattle beat Nashville for the first victory in the expansion franchise’s second game.