Canucks come all the way back again
VANCOUVER — Henrik Sedin scored at 1:40 of overtime Tuesday as the Vancouver Canucks defeated the St. Louis Blues 2-1.
Bo Horvat also scored for Vancouver (3-0-0), which got 23 saves from Jacob Markstrom.
Vladimir Tarasenko replied for St. Louis (3-0-1), which got 24 stops from Jake Allen.
The winner came after Markstrom made a nice glove save in the extra period and played the puck to keep the play moving. Sedin worked a nice give and go with Daniel Sedin, before putting the winner off the post and in for his first of the season.
The Canucks trailed both of their previous games heading into the third, and tied things up with 2:55 left in regulation when Horvat banged home a rebound past Allen. The goal snapped a streak of 177 minutes 34 seconds of shutout hockey against Vancouver dating back to 2015-16.
Vancouver has now won two games in overtime and another in a shootout to start the season.
The Blues took the lead at 10:23 of the second after Allen stopped Henrik Sedin’s initial shot and then the rebound on a flurry in front. St. Louis immediately broke the other way on a 2-on-1, with Tarasenko ripping his fourth of the season shortside on Markstrom.
The Canucks had a number of excellent chances leading up to the goal, with both Markus Granlund and Horvat hitting the post before Allen stoned Daniel Sedin from the slot.
Vancouver’s power play, now scoreless on 10 opportunities to start the season, had a chance midway through the third, but could only muster a solitary shot from the point that Allen handled with ease.
St. Louis then hit the post on a partial breakaway off the stick of Patrik Berglund that saw the Blues forward crash into Markstrom, who made a great back-to-back saves on Nail Yakupov and Paul Stastny from in close moments later.
Markstrom was expected to get the night off after winning his season debut, a 4-3 overtime triumph against Carolina on Sunday, but No. 1 goalie Ryan Miller arrived at Rogers Arena on Tuesday morning feeling “a little tight,” according to head coach Willie Desjardins.
That thrust Markstrom back into the crease, and forced the club to dress University of British Columbia goalie Matt Hewitt as an emergency backup because the club couldn’t get another netminder from within the organization to Vancouver in time for the game.
The Canucks looked to have taken the lead with 6:10 left in the opening period on Luca Sbisa’s first of the season, but the goal was waved off after video review because of a distinct kicking motion by the Vancouver defenceman on a play that resulted in a St. Louis penalty for hooking.
LOOSE PUCKS: Hewitt, a native of nearby New Westminster, played three seasons with the WHL’s Regina Pats before continuing his career in university hockey.
Canadiens 4, Penguins 0
MONTREAL — Before the Montreal Canadiens’ home opener, the Bell Centre crowd gave a huge ovation to ailing goaltender Carey Price.
After the game, they did the same for his replacement, Al Montoya.
The veteran backup, filling in for a third straight game while Price recovers from a flu, posted a 36-save shutout to lead the Canadiens to a 4-0 victory over the Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday night.
In three starts to begin the season, Montoya has a nifty 1.30 goals-against average and a .962 save percentage.
“I feel I’ve been trying to make a statement for a while,” said Montoya, a backup most of his career who signed as a free agent this summer from the Florida Panthers. “For me, this is just an opportunity to play.
“I don’t try to overdo anything. I come out, have fun, play my game and let the rest take care of itself. The win is fantastic. That’s all we play for, but maybe [the shutout] was the cherry on top.”
David Desharnais scored twice. Another off-season signing, Alexander Radulov, got his first goal as a Canadien — with Montoya picking up an assist. Captain Max Pacioretty also scored for Montreal (2-0-1).
“When you see Monty make some of those saves, it gives us an opportunity to try to get him the shutout and try to get some goals for him,” said Pacioretty. “You have to credit most of that game to him because he was incredible.”
The Penguins (2-1-1), coming off an overtime loss at home Monday night, played their first road game of the season. Pittsburgh outshot the Canadiens 36-32.
Stars 2, Predators 1
NASHVILLE — Jason Spezza scored midway through the third period to give the Dallas Stars a 2-1 win over the Nashville Predators on Tuesday night.
Adam Cracknell added his second goal of the season for Dallas, and Kari Lehtonen made 27 saves.
Mike Fisher scored for Nashville early in the second period to tie it 1-1. The Predators have lost two straight.
Spezza’s tiebreaking goal came 9:15 into the third.