Carom off official’s skate helps Ducks
The Anaheim Ducks got assistance from a carom off the skate of an official and a great game from 39yearold goaltender Ryan Miller in his first start of the season to beat the Blue Jackets 21 on Friday night in Columbus.
Miller was slotted in for regular starter John Gibson on the second night of a backtoback.
“He played great, kept us in the hockey game,” said Ducks defenseman Cam Fowler, who scored the goal that counted as the winner. “That’s what you expect out of a guy like him who’s been around a long time. He prepares himself, works hard, does the little extra things in practice to make sure he’s prepared for the game, and I was happy to see his hard work pay off.”
After a scoreless first period, Anaheim’s Jakob Silfverberg got a shorthanded goal when he put back a rebound to cap an oddman rush that was set up by a deflection off a lineman’s skate. Fowler scored two minutes later, taking a drop pass from Ondrej Kase and beating goalie Joonas Korpisalo from the right circle.
“The big play is when they score shorthanded,” Columbus coach John Tortorella said. “It was an unlucky one. It went off the ref ’s skate. They score, then we give up an oddman rush and they score (again). You just can’t do that.”
The 41 record matches the best start in Ducks history. Sabres 3, Panthers 2: Buffalo’s top scorers were held in check, but Kyle Okposo and his line of grinders came to the rescue. Okposo set up both goals in regulation before Jack Eichel and Casey Mittelstadt scored in the shootout to help the Sabres (401) match their best start to a season in 10 years with a onegoal win over visiting Florida.
“I’ve never seen a bench cheer so much for another line having success,” coach Ralph Krueger said of how his socalled energy line scored goals 2:33 apart spanning the second intermission to stake Buffalo to a 20 lead. Hurricanes 5, Islanders 2: Dougie Hamilton and Andrei Svechnikov each had a goal and an assist as Carolina beat visiting New York and improved to 500 for the first time in franchise history.