Five Minute Major

*Photo from NBC Sports*     In order for the Boston Bruins to win, they channeled the power of the Charlies on their team. Charlie Coyle scored twice, including the shootout winner, Charlie McAvoy scored, and the Bruins defeated the Florida Panthers 3-2 on Saturday night.    With the win, a few Bruins reached some career milestones as the improved to 4-3-0 this season. Bruins LW Taylor Hall became the second player drafted in the 2010 NHL Draft to reach 600 career points, joining Dallas Stars forward Tyler Seguin. Hall got 600 on an assist on a goal scored by Coyle. LW Brad Marchand also became the 10th player in Bruins history to record 400 assists when he added an assist on McAvoy's goal.    Coyle talked about the shootout win, saying that "We needed that win. Good on us to fight back and grab the two points. We battled it out, and sometimes you win in that fashion like we did, gutting it out that way, which kind of helps even more to give your team confi...

*Photo from Fox News*     In his quest for goal scoring history, Alex Ovechkin has not slowed down one bit. In fact, he's amped it up. Ovechkin scored again, John Carlson scored, and the Washington Capitals shut out the Arizona Coyotes for a 2-0 win on Friday night.    In 8 games to start the season, Ovechkin has been on a tear, scoring 9 goals and adding 6 assists. Ovechkin scored goal number 739 on Friday night, which puts him just two goals behind Brett Hull for the 4th most goals in NHL history. Ovechkin also matched his 15 points in 8 games to begin a season total from the 2009-2010 season.    When asked postgame about Ovechkin's red hot start to the season, Carlson answered "I don't think it's a surprise. He's only done it for 17 other years too. So maybe he had one down year out of 17 or whatever it is. So, no, there's no surprise from us."    After a scoreless two periods in Washington, the offense woke up in the 3rd period. While on ...

*Photo from the Colorado Springs Gazette*     Thanks to the efforts provided by the Colorado Avalanche, there is now one less undefeated team in the NHL. JT Compher scored twice, Nazem Kadri scored, and the Avalanche defeated the St.Louis Blues 4-3 on Thursday night.    The loss ends the undefeated season for the Blues, who now possess a 5-1-0 record in their first 6 games of the season, still in charge of the Central Division, 5 places ahead of the Avalanche. However, this game was all Colorado, as they outshot the Blues by a whopping 42-18 total. Defenseman Cale Makar also recorded his 100th career point, in his 108th game.    Kadri was very pleased after the game, saying that "It's an excellent, great road game. We came out with a great start. I don't think we let off the gas throughout the whole game. They pushed back a couple of times with some timely goals, but we responded well. That's good to see from a mature group."    The Blues str...

*Photo from the Sacramento Bee*     No matter what happens from here on out, the Philadelphia Flyers made sure that the Edmonton Oilers would not be undefeated this season. Cam Atkinson scored twice, Claude Giroux scored, and the Flyers defeated the Oilers 5-3 on Wednesday night.    Flyers forward James Van Riemsdyk was very pleased by the game played from the Flyers, saying that "They're very explosive, and you can't really take a shift off against them because they can make plays out of nothing, it seems like. It was a strong effort by us, a big two points."    Since being traded to the Flyers this offseason, Atkinson has been on quite a roll to start the season. In his first 5 games in a new uniform for the first time in his career, Atkinson has scored 6 goals to begin the season. He was traded to the Flyers from the Columbus Blue Jackets this offseason in exchange for Jakub Voracek.    Giroux kicked off the scoring for the Flyers, sc...

*Photo from the San Diego Union Tribune*     The Calgary Flames are red hot. Ok, that was a terrible pun. But they are, and a big reason why is Andrew Mangiapane. He is also red hot right now. Mangiapane scored twice, Elias Lindholm scored, and the Flames defeated the Devils 5-3 on Tuesday night.    With the two goal performance from Mangiapane, he has now tallied 12 goals in his last 10 games, which dates back to last season. To start off this season, he has 7 goals in 6 games, and he has tallied six goals in a recent 4 game goal streak.     Mangiapane said of his hot start that "Players here are just kind of finding me. It's definitely nice. Obviously, it is more important to get the two points. We had a good start. We knew we needed to come out strong and get our legs underneath us. We scored on some early opportunities, and I think that was the difference in the game."    Milan Lucic got the Calgary offense going, scoring his fi...

*Photo from ABC News*     With Toronto Zamboni driver and Carolina Hurricanes emergency goalie legend Dave Ayres in the building, the stage was set for the Hurricanes to put together a win. They did just that. Sebastian Aho scored, Steven Lorentz scored, and the Hurricanes defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-1 on Monday night.    By beating the Maple Leafs, the Hurricanes have rocketed themselves to a perfect 5-0-0 start to begin the season, which is the second time they've started a season with that record, the previous time being fairly recently, when they started the 2019-2020 season with a 5-0-0 record. Carolina defenseman Ian Cole also played in his 600th career NHL game.    Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour discussed the hot start, saying that "I like how hard we're playing. It's not always going to be perfect, and you don't always expect it to be, but the effort is there and it's making up for a lot of the mistakes we're making. I love the work et...

*Photo from the Glens Falls Post Star*     With Juuse Saros needing rest and David Rittich out, it was Connor Ingram's time to shine. Ingram saved 33 shots, Ryan Johansen scored twice, and the Nashville Predators defeated the Minnesota Wild 5-2 on Sunday night.    Ingram, who saved 33 out of 35 shots in his NHL debut, became the second goalie in Predators history to win his NHL debut, the first being Pekka Rinne in 2005. Ingram was selected in the 3rd round of the 2016 NHL Draft by the Tampa Bay Lightning. After Nico Sturm scored in the second period, Ingram held the fort from there.    Nashville captain Roman Josi said of the win that "We definitely wanted to keep going and not let them come back. We knew how dangerous they were. Although they got the first goal in the second, I thought we did a good job still creating chances, still being aggressive, and I think that was key."    In the first period, Josi got the fun started for the Pr...

*Photo from ABC News*     It was the opening night for the Seattle Kraken. Their first game at Climate Pledge Arena, the only arena in the NHL to run entirely on renewable energy sources. Fans were fired up for professional hockey in Seattle. The Vancouver Canucks ruined their night. Bo Horvat scored twice, Conor Garland scored, and the Canucks beat the Kraken 4-2 on Saturday night.    Since being traded to the Canucks in a blockbuster move over the Summer, Garland has started his time in Vancouver the right way. He has potted 3 goals and 5 assists, for a total of 8 points, and has opened the season with a 6 game point streak, so there has yet to be a game where Garland has not recorded at least one point.    Garland said of his hot start on a new team that "It's been a lot of fun for me. That power-play goal was huge, that's our captain. That's what leaders do, they go get a big goal like that. Then it was nice for me to get a chance and capitalize. I...

*Photo from the Mercury News*     The Buffalo Sabres have had a strong start to the season. The Florida Panthers have had a strong start to the season. Now, the San Jose Sharks are also having a strong start to the season. Who saw that coming? Logan Couture scored two goals, Erik Karlsson scored, and the Sharks defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-3 on Friday night.    The Sharks were playing their 3rd game in 4 nights, and it showed in the first period, starting out evidently slow. However, in the second period, they found their groove, and in the 3rd period, they stuck with it, which was all they needed to do in order to improve to 4-0-0 this season, winning 4 straight games.    Sharks captain Logan Couture said of the hot start that "It's huge to start like this. That was the main focus in training camp, to get off to a good start this year. Last two years, we haven't and it's snowballed into tough seasons. We had a really good camp, a really good pre...

*Photo from the Ottumwa Courier*     Looking to build off a strong season last year, the Florida Panthers are keeping the gang around in hopes of a better season this time. So far, so good. Sam Reinhart scored, Sam Bennett scored, and the Panthers defeated the Colorado Avalanche by a 4-1 score on Thursday night.    With the win, the Panthers have improved to 4-0-0 this season, which is the best start in team history, with the perfect 8 points in the standings. They had 7 points after 4 games of a new season 3 times, in 1996-1997, 1999-2000, and last season. In those 3 seasons, the Panthers made the playoffs every time. They are looking for a similar result again this year.    Panthers forward Carter Verhaeghe said of the undefeated start that "I think we're kind of taking it day by day right now. We know we have a lot of talent in the room, but we know not to take anything for granted. So we're taking it day by day. We want to win in the postseaso...

*Photo from St Louis Game Time*     Ever since he reported to training camp, Vladimir Tarasenko has looked like a man on a mission, looking to re-become a deadly top flight scorer in the league when fully healthy. This was a start in that direction. Tarasenko scored a goal, Brandon Saad scored, and the St. Louis Blues defeated the Vegas Golden Knights 3-1 on Wednesday night.    The offseason, for both Tarasenko and the Blues, was a tumultuous one at best. It was marred by questions of whether or not Tarasenko could stay fully healthy, whether or not the Blues wanted him back, and whether or not they would fulfill the trade request that was made by Tarasenko. He is still with the Blues, and he's back to scoring.    Goalie Jordan Binnington said of Tarasenko that he was "Happy for him. He's been working so hard. He's been through a lot and it's really nice to see him be rewarded. Can't say enough about that guy and his work ethic. We're all happy for him...

*Photo from the Buffalo News*     If you were to look for the last time that the Buffalo Sabres started a season 3-0-0, you'd have to look back to when Barack Obama was first elected as president in 2008. Well, now you can look back to October 19, 2021. Jeff Skinner scored, Kyle Okposo scored, and the Sabres defeated the Vancouver Canucks 5-2 on Tuesday night.    It's the first time the Sabres have started a season 3-0-0 since the 2008-2009 season, when they opened the season 4-0-0. This strong start to the season won't end the Sabres long playoff drought by itself, as so many other things need to happen, but it is a step in the right direction. They also won their 3rd straight game as Rasmus Dahlin celebrated his 200th NHL game.    Okposo said of the undefeated start that "It's just another brick in the foundation of the way we want to play. That's something that you have to learn how to do as a team. You're not going to have it every night; we play 8...

*Photo from the Orange County Register*     The struggles of some top prospects in the Anaheim Ducks system have been noted over the last few seasons. Monday night, we were reminded of why they are top prospects. Rickard Rakell scored, Jamie Drysdale scored the winner, and the Ducks defeated the Calgary Flames 3-2 in overtime on Monday night.    After a very forgettable season earlier this year, The Ducks have shown their young talent so far, with a 2-1-0 record to start the season. It's a very small sample size, it's just 3 games. But it's an encouraging 3 games, something that the Ducks are hoping they can build upon as they open a 4 game road trip.    Drysdale said of his OT winner that "I just tried to work my way up the ice as fast as I could, get into a shooting position. From there, Troy kind of did all the work, made a great fake, a great curl and drag and slipped it through the guy right on my tape backdoor. It was a heck of a play by him. He ...

*Photo from NBC Dallas Fort Worth*     It may have been the only NHL game played on Sunday, but there was still plenty of excitement around it. Chris Tierney made sure of it. Tierney scored two goals, Nicholas Paul scored one, and the Ottawa Senators defeated the Dallas Stars 3-2 on Sunday afternoon.    The win gives Ottawa their second win in 3 games to start the season, which is a much welcome change from last season. That time, it took them 11 games to win just two, as they started the season with a 2-8-1 record. Now, they're starting 2-1-0, and sit in 4th place in the Atlantic Division.     Senators head coach DJ Smith said of the win that "That was big boy hockey out there. The Stars are a north-south, big, heavy team and they play physical, fast. And credit to our guys, we came out in the first period ready. They made a really good push, but I thought we made a lot of smart plays and got good goaltending."    The Stars jumped ...

*Photo from MassLive*     On opening night at the TD Garden, the stage was set for some of the stars in Boston to deliver. Brad Marchand scored twice, Jake Debrusk scored, and the Boston Bruins defeated the Dallas Stars by a 3-1 score on Saturday night, kicking off their season with a win.    The goal scored by Debrusk will hopefully, for his and the Bruins benefit, be a launching pad into a redemption season. Last season was not good for Debrusk, dealing with the isolation required by the Covid-19 Pandemic, being limited to just 5 goals and 9 assists last season. The fact that he started off this season with a goal is hopefully a sign of good things to come.    Boston coach Bruce Cassidy said postgame that "Tonight, Debrusk should feel good about his game. He did a good job of simply playing behind Dallas's defense, winning the foot race, creating that second effort play to create a turnover, and then the puck ends up on his stick in the slot." ...

*Photo from All About the Jersey*     In an intriguing early season matchup between two teams with the busiest offseasons in hockey, Jack Hughes took home the biggest reward. Dougie Hamilton scored, Hughes added the game winner, and the New Jersey Devils defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 4-3 on Friday night.    Hamilton said of the crowd packing the Prudential Center in New Jersey that "It's been a while since we had crowds, but just to have them back and loud and excited, it was awesome. I didn't really know what to expect, and it was definitely way higher than what I expected. I hope we can keep that going."    It did not take long for Hamilton, the prized addition of the offseason, to fit in well with his new team, giving the Devils a 1-0 lead just 17 seconds into the game, a very good start for a defenseman who just got paid the big bucks. Goals in the second period by Alex Debrincat of Chicago, as well as Hughes, made it a 2-1 lead for the Devils af...

*Photo from Kentucky Today*     The Seattle Kraken made Thursday night a pretty memorable one, not just for themselves, but for their fanbase and the NHL. Jared McCann scored, Brandon Tanev scored twice, and the Kraken defeated the Nashville Predators 4-3 on Thursday night.    Entering Friday, the Kraken now have their first regular season win in franchise history, with plenty of more milestones to pass as a brand new franchise. But, for now, they can simply celebrate their first win, and look forward to their home opener in Seattle.    Kraken forward Alex Wennberg said of the first win that "I feel like it's just big for the franchise. Obviously, it's so new and to get that first win, I feel like it's a big accomplishment. I don't know if we celebrate it any differently, I think it's just really good for the team and for us as an organization. It's just like, 'Hey, that's the first one.' Hopefully there's many more to come and that's wh...

*Photo from the Joplin Globe*     Alex Ovechkin, even on the first game of the season, is still climbing up the goal leaderboard in the NHL. Ovechkin scored two goals, Hendrix Lapierre scored, and the Washington Capitals defeated the New York Rangers 5-1 on Wednesday night.    The two goals scored by Ovechkin give him career goals number 731 and 732, tying and then passing Marcel Dionne for 5th in all time goals scored in the NHL. While Ovechkin still has a long way to go before catching Wayne Gretzky's 894 goals, the all time leader, he's still making history, even if it seems like it's happening every night.    Capitals head coach Peter Laviolette said of Ovechkin that "I've only been here a short time, and it seems like every night we're acknowledging him for something, he's passing somebody or he's doing something special. Tonight's a real big accomplishment to jump up the list like that."    TJ Oshie scored the lone goal of the first per...

*Photo from The Athletic*     On opening night, we saw the first regular season rendition of the Seattle Kraken, and they played admirably. Instead, the second youngest team in the NHL had the last laugh. Max Pacioretty scored twice, Chandler Stephenson scored the game winning goal, and the Vegas Golden Knights defeated the Seattle Kraken 4-3 on Tuesday night, on NHL opening night.    Vegas captain Mark Stone said of the season opening win that "Things didn't end well for us last year in the playoffs. We did a little bit of soul searching this summer and we wanted to be ready for opening day of camp, opening day of the season. It's about being consistent for 82 games."    Pacioretty scored the first goal of the season for Vegas, tallying goal number one at 3:10 of the first period off the pass from Stone, who finished with 3 assists and a +3 plus/minus. Jonathan Marchessault then scored his 3rd opening night goal with Vegas, scoring 6:36 into the first...