Stars pound Predators
Coyotes bounce back
DALLAS, Jan 23, (AP): Joe Pavelski had two goals and two assists and Alexander Radulov also scored twice, helping Dallas beat the Nashville Predators 7-0 on Friday night in the Stars’ delayed season opener.
The Stars unveiled their Western Conference championship banner, and then rolled past the Predators. Anton Khudobin stopped 34 shots in his first season-opening start, and Joel Kiviranta had a goal and an assist.
Five of Dallas’ goals came in the second period, including three powerplay goals and an unassisted shorthanded wrist shot by Esa Lindell.
The Stars were the last NHL team to open the season after their first four games, all scheduled on the road, were postponed because 17 players tested positive for COVID-19 during the abbreviated training camp.
ICE HOCKEY
Nashville played for the first time since Monday, a day before its second of back-to-back games against Carolina was postponed because of virus issues for the Hurricanes.
Coyotes 5, Golden Knights 2
In Glendale, Arizona, Conor Garland had a goal and an assist, Darcy Kuemper stopped 29 shots and Arizona handed Vegas its their first loss of the season.
The Coyotes bounced back from a drubbing two nights earlier in Vegas with one of their best games of the early season.
Arizona’s Nick Schmaltz scored for the third straight game and had an assist. Christian Dvorak also had a goal and an assist. Derick Brassard scored his first of the season and Jordan Oesterle closed it out with an empty-net goal.
Penguins 4, Rangers 3, SO
In Pittsburgh, Kris Letang scored in the final round of a shootout to lift Pittsburgh to the victory.
Letang ripped a backhand over Igor Shesterkin to put the Penguins in front. Tristan Jarry collected his first win of
the season when he stuffed New York’s Tony DeAngelo moments later.
Bryan Rust and Jared McCann collected their first goals of the season for Pittsburgh, which has won three straight following an 0-2 start. Teddy Blueger also scored, and Jarry finished with 31 saves.
Capitals 4, Sabres 3, SO
In Washington, Jakub Vrana had a goal and an assist, Vitek Vanecek made 24 saves through overtime and the short-handed Capitals beat the Sabres 4-3 in their home opener.
Nicklas Backstrom and Nic Dowd also scored for the Capitals, who won the first of four games they must play without captain Alex Ovechkin, center Evgeny Kuznetsov, defenseman Dmitry Orlov and goaltender Ilya Samsonov because of pandemic protocols.
Vanecek was perfect in the shootout to pick up his second victory of the season. Defenseman John Carlson scored the shootout winner.
Buffalo rookie Dylan Cozens scored his first NHL goal in the second period. Eric Staal and Riley Sheahan each scored his first goal since joining the
Sabres. Linus Ullmark made 29 saves.
Avalanche 3, Ducks 2, OT
In Anaheim, California, Gabriel Landeskog scored 1:38 into overtime, Mikko Rantanen extended his goalscoring streak to four games, and the Avalanche topped the Ducks.
Landeskog was initially stopped by Anaheim goalie John Gibson on a breakaway, but he got his own rebound and converted a wraparound for his third goal of the season.
Joonas Donskoi also scored for Colorado and Phillip Grubauer stopped 36 shots.
Blackhawks 4, Red Wings 1
In Chicago, Patrick Kane had a goal and an assist, and the Blackhawks earned their first win of the season.
Andrew Shaw, Calvin de Haan and Mattias Janmark also scored for Chicago in its home opener after beginning the season with a four-game trip. Dylan Strome and Alex DeBrincat each had two assists.
Kevin Lankinen, a 25-year-old rookie signed by Chicago as a free agent in 2018, stopped 30 shots in picking up his first NHL victory in his second straight start.
Wild 4, Sharks 1
In St Paul, Minnesota, Zach Parise scored his first goal of the season to break a second-period tie, sending Minnesota to the victory.
Joel Eriksson Ek had an early goal for the Wild against former teammate Devan Dubnyk, who made 25 saves for the Sharks on the Minnesota ice he called home for the previous six years. Kevin Fiala and Jordan Greenway added empty-netters for the Wild (4-1-0) in their home opener, maintaining momentum from their strong start on the road.
Maple Leafs 4, Oilers 2
In Toronto, John Tavares broke a tie on a power play midway through the third period, helping the Maple Leafs to the win.
Toronto played without Auston Matthews and Joe Thornton. Coach Sheldon Keefe said before the game Matthews is day to day with “upperbody soreness” following a 3-1 loss to the Oilers on Wednesday night, while Thornton will miss at least four weeks after fracturing a rib in that game.
Adam Brooks scored his first NHL goal for Toronto, which improved to 4-2-0. Jimmy Vesey and Mitch Marner also scored, and Frederik Andersen made 30 saves.