Five Minute Major

*Photo from the Los Angeles Times*     The young Ducks needed to do something to stop the slide, and they found a way to do it. Dmitry Kulikov scored, Trevor Zegras potted two goals, and the Anaheim Ducks rallied to defeat the Toronto Maple Leafs with a 4-3 overtime win on Sunday night in Anaheim.    After winning the season opener, the Ducks plummeted, losing 7 straight with a 0-6-1 record in that time. On the back of Zegras, Kulikov, and some 3rd period resiliency, the Ducks snapped their losing streak, now sitting at 2-6-1. They still have a long way to go, but they stopped the losing for now.    Ducks head coach Dallas Eakins said of finally winning that "It was really important that we understood the guy next to you isn’t going to pull us out of this; the coach isn’t going to pull us out of this. Each person in that room had to have a level of resolve that we’re going to go out there and do our jobs to the best of our ability."    On the...

*Photo from Japers Rink*     In the music city, it was not the seasoned veterans leading the way, but the young kids instead. Beck Malenstyn scored, Aliaksei Protas added a goal, and the Washington Capitals defeated the Nashville Predators with a 3-0 shutout victory on Saturday night in Nashville.    The youth movement of the Capitals picked up the slack on Saturday, powering the Capitals offense to improve to 5-4-0. They've won 3 of their last 4 and 5 of 7, sitting in 5th place in the Metropolitan Division. 4 different Capitals skaters also registered assists.    Capitals head coach Peter Laviolette said of the win after the game that "I liked the directness of the game that we played, the decisions we made with the puck. I liked the way we defended. The Predators are a physical team. We had to show up and be physically ready, so it was a lot of positives tonight."    The first period went scoreless as both goalies put on a show, a...

*Photo from the Eagle Tribune*     Who could have expected this start? David Pastrnak had a goal and an assist, Jake Debrusk scored, and the Boston Bruins defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets with a 4-0 shutout victory on Friday night in Columbus.    The win for the Bruins continues what has been a torrid start to the season. They won 3 straight to open the year, and have now won 5 in a row and 8 of 9 to start the season, sitting at an 8-1-0 record with the best record in the NHL. Pastrnak now possesses the league lead in goals.    Bruins center Charlie Coyle said of the win that "It's a great start. I don't know if a lot of people expected us to have the record that we have now, but it doesn't matter. We know what's in here and the guys we have and the guys that can fill in and take on responsibility. It's a great sign for a team with a few key guys out."    The only goal of the first period came from Matt Grzelcyk, who scored his first goal o...

*Photo from Sportsnet*     Well, they weren't going 0-82, they had to win one eventually. Ilya Mikheyev scored two goals, Conor Garland added the game winner, and the Vancouver Canucks defeated the Seattle Kraken with a 5-4 victory on Thursday night in Seattle.    The Canucks had started the season with 7 straight losses, entering play 0-5-2 to start the year. They shook that off with multi goal periods in the second and 3rd, closing out their first win of the season. 3 Canucks skaters racked up a goal and an assist, while Mikheyev contributed two goals.    It was also a special night for Canucks head coach Bruce Boudreau. The first win of the season for the Canucks went down as the 600th win of Boudreau's head coaching career. It took him just 1,049 games to reach 600 wins, making him the second fastest to do so, behind 1,002 games from Scotty Bowman.    Canucks captain Bo Horvat said of Boudreau's milestone that "I mean, there's one guy that des...

*Photo from Theday.com*     This was a rivalry game that was action packed and did not disappoint. Kyle Palmieri scored twice, Adam Pelech had two assists, and the New York Islanders defeated the New York Rangers with a 3-0 shutout victory on Wednesday night on Long Island.    Returning home after losing 3 straight games, the Islanders played one of their better games of the season, improving their record to 3-4-0 in the first 7 games. The Islanders beat the Rangers for the first time at UBS arena on Wednesday, with the Rangers having won both times last season. Palmieri led the attack with two goals.    Islanders forward Josh Bailey said of the game that "Against your rivals at home, you feel that extra boost and feels a little more like a playoff-type atmosphere. It'd be a little more tighter checking, and that's what it felt like out there."    The first period went scoreless, and so did the first 8 minutes of the second period. Palmieri g...

*Photo from the Press Democrat*     Man, what a night it was for the Hot Dog man himself. Shea Theodore had a goal and an assist, Phil Kessel reached a pair of milestones, and the Vegas Golden Knights defeated the San Jose Sharks with a 4-2 victory on Tuesday night in San Jose.    Playing on the second end of a back to back, everyone knew Kessel was going to become the new NHL ironman, playing in his 990th straight game, the most in league history. But he was also one goal away from 400 in his career. He accomplished that as well, and it gave Vegas the win on a big night.    Vegas head coach Bruce Cassidy said of Kessel's 400th goal that "Isn't that ironic how it works out? Good for him. He certainly earned it. Those young legs were churning on that one. He still skates, still makes plays. Very happy for him. Obviously, it's a big night for him. You want to remember when you break a record with a win. To be able to score a goal, something he's done his...

*Photo from the San Diego Union Tribune*     Wearing their sharp looking 3rd jerseys, the team that plays in the "True North" did what they had to do. Mark Scheifele scored, Josh Morrisey had two assists, and the Winnipeg Jets defeated the St. Louis Blues with a 4-0 shutout victory on Monday night in Winnipeg.    It was a game that the Jets appeared all over the statsheet in. They won to improve their record to 3-3-0 to begin the season, with 11 different skaters registering at least one point, with Morrisey being the only player with two points. The Jets won for the 6th time in their last 7 games against the Blues.    Jets assistant coach and acting head coach Scott Arniel said that "We knew we were going against a team in St. Louis that made you work for every inch of the ice. We did a great job of battling, getting from zone to zone to zone, getting to their end of the rink. That was a real complete game. I thought all our lines, all our D, I think ...

*Photo from Norman Transcript*     Outside of baseball, it was a special night in the city that never sleeps. Zach Werenski scored, Jack Roslovic and Liam Foudy had two assists, and the Columbus Blue Jackets defeated the New York Rangers with a 5-1 victory on Sunday afternoon in Manhattan.    The Blue Jackets are still under .500, with the win moving their record to 3-4-0 to begin the season, but no one was expecting them to be world beaters. Foudy, Roslovic, and Jakub Voracek all had two assists for the Jackets, while 5 different skaters recorded goals.    Blue Jackets captain Boone Jenner said of the win that "We had to learn from last night and we were in the same position tonight, up a couple goals. And now we're on the other side of it. Keep playing. You do that and you're going to get some more chances. I think that's why we got a couple late."    Only one goal came in the first period, and it was Werenski who did it, scoring with 2:06 ...

*Photo from AP News*     Apparently, the recipe to winning in Montreal is the elder statesman. Jason Robertson had a goal and an assist, Joe Pavelski recorded a hat trick, and the Dallas Stars defeated the Montreal Canadiens with a 5-2 victory on Saturday night in Montreal.    The win on the road continues a torrid start to the season for the Stars, who find themselves with a 4-0-1 record in the first 5 games of the season. Statistically, Robertson's goal and assist made a two point night, with Jamie Benn and Roope Hintz also adding two assists to the pile.    However, the spotlight was on Pavelski, who recorded his first hat trick of the season in the road win. The 38 year old Pavelski notched his 6th career hat trick on Saturday, and his first since February 24, 2019, during the 2018-2019 season. He scored a natural hat trick for the San Jose Sharks in that game, beating the Detroit Red Wings by a 5-3 score.    Dallas head coach Pete Deboer said...

*Photo from TSN*     In Seattle, they think it's high time to get Kraken. Jared McCann had a goal and an assist, Karson Kuhlman scored, and the Seattle Kraken defeated the Colorado Avalanche with a 3-2 victory on Friday night in Denver.    The Kraken are in the midst of another shaky start, with the win improving their record to just 2-2-2 to open the season. But they did go toe to toe with the defending champions all night long, rallying from blowing a two goal lead to end up on top anyway.    Kraken head coach Dave Hakstol said of the win that "We played a rock solid 60 minutes. We were confident from the drop of the puck. We knew they'd have a little push in their home building, and they did in the first couple of shifts, but we settled things down. We played a real good 60 minutes."    After the first period went scoreless, the Kraken got an early power play in the second period. Jaden Schwartz did not disappoint, getting the Kraken on th...

*Photo from the San Diego Union Tribune*     It was a battle of two former cup dynasties, and the eastern side came out on top. Jeff Carter scored, Jeff Petry had a goal and two assists, and the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Los Angeles Kings with a 6-1 victory on Thursday night in Pittsburgh.    Two former dynasties in the 2010's did battle in Pittsburgh early on in the season, and the ever competitive Penguins kept the edge, striking early and often to beat the Kings, improving a 3-0-1 record. It was also head coach Mike Sullivan's 300th victory behind the Penguins bench, and 370th of all time.    Sullivan said of the milestone that "It's humbling. It means a lot. I'm grateful to the players. They're the guys that go out there and earn the wins for us. These guys that I've been coaching in my time here work so hard to bring the success that we've had on the ice. I'm grateful to those guys. They're the ones that make the sacrifices every day...

*Photo from NHL.com*     Eventually, even the undefeated teams are going to lose at some point. Carter Verhaeghe scored twice, Rudolfs Balcers scored, and the Florida Panthers defeated the Philadelphia Flyers with a 4-3 victory on Wednesday night in Sunrise.    Taking the ice for their home opener, the Panthers picked up their 3rd win in 4 games to start the season, and ending the Flyers perfect 3-0-0 record in the process. Both teams now sit at 3-1-0 early in the season. Verhaeghe shined with two goals, also scoring twice in the Panthers home opener last year.    Verhaeghe said of his two goal home opener that "Hopefully I will keep this trend going. We're not playing as run-and-gun as in years past, we're playing better defensively and that takes from our offense, but I think that's worth it. Going into hard games going down the stretch, it's going to be worth it."    Starting the scoring in the first period was Verhaeghe, who gave the Pant...

*Photo from Lighthouse Hockey*     So far, so good down on the Island. Brock Nelson and Noah Dobson had two assist games, Oliver Wahlstrom scored twice, and the New York Islanders defeated the San Jose Sharks with a 5-2 victory on Tuesday night down on Long Island.    Coming off a dismal 2021-2022 season that saw the Islanders finish with 84 points, 16 out of a playoff spot, they've looked like a better team to start this season. It's only been 3 games, but they do have a 2-1-0 record, with both wins coming in a row.    Islanders forward Matt Martin said of the start to the season that "We want to find consistency in our game. If you get off to a good start, when you do hit adversity throughout the year, there is a little bit of wiggle room there. You are not feeling the weight of the world on your back."    The only goal of the first period came from Nico Sturm, who gave the Sharks a 1-0 lead 12:50 into the game, assisted by Jaycob Megna and...

*Photo from Stars and Sticks*     People can say that this team is old, but they'll still play their hearts out. John Carlson had a goal and an assist, Alex Ovechkin had a 4 point night, and the Washington Capitals rallied to defeat the Vancouver Canucks with a 6-4 victory on Monday night in Washington.    After dropping two straight games to start the season, the Capitals came back to win their second straight, improving to 2-2-0 this season. Trailing entering the 3rd period, the Capitals rattled off 4 unanswered goals to pick up the comeback win to improve to a .500 record early in the season.    Capitals forward Dylan Strome said of the game that they "Gave them a few too many chances in the second, kind of let our foot off the gas. And then, there's a lot of veterans in here, talked about it, knew what we had to do in the third and found a way to come back."    It was Ovechkin who started the scoring for the Capitals, picking up a power p...

*Photo from TSN*     The first edition of the Battle of Alberta did not disappoint. Nazem Kadri had a goal and an assist, Michael Stone had a 3 point game, and the Calgary Flames defeated the Edmonton Oilers with a 4-3 victory on Saturday night in Edmonton.    The two teams met for the first time this season in the second game of the year for both squads. A 4 goal first period was all the Flames needed to pick up the win. Leading the way offensively was Stone, who recorded his first 3 point game in his NHL career, picking up a goal and two assists to get the job done.    Flames head coach Darryl Sutter said that "I thought we played a really strong game. In the second period, you knew they were going to come with a push, and they did early. I thought for the most part we did a pretty good job."    Starting the scoring right off the bat was Mikael Backlund, who gave the Flames a 1-0 lead just 1:13 into the game, with Stone and Blake Colem...

*Photo from the San Diego Union Tribune*     This is a season that will determine many things up north, and they're playing like it. Sam Gagner scored, Mark Scheifele scored twice, and the Winnipeg Jets defeated the New York Rangers with a 4-1 victory on Friday night in Winnipeg.    Opening their season up at home, the Jets came out firing on all cylinders, with 3 different players scoring goals. It was enough for their first win of the season, and after the game, Scheifele was quick to credit his line for his own success.    Scheifele said of his line's play that "Ehlers was flying all night, made some great plays, and I don't think Connor gets the credit he deserved. He drove the net, opened everything up. Sometimes it's not always your turn to get the chance. That's what I think our line, we're going to be dangerous if we do that."    The first and only goal of the first period went to Scheifele, scoring 10:29 into the game to put the...

*Photo from ABC News*     The progress made at the end of last season is making itself shown again. JJ Peterka scored, Victor Olofsson had a two goal game, and the Buffalo Sabres defeated the Ottawa Senators with a 4-1 victory on Thursday night in Buffalo.    The Sabres saw positive results and progress made at the end of last season. That same progress and promise appeared again, scoring 4 unanswered goals after falling behind early. Leading the way offensively were Olofsson, with two 3rd period goals, and Peterka, who scored his first NHL goal.    Sabres head coach Don Granato said of Peterka's goal "That was really nice to see. The competition elevated, the competitive puck battles elevated, and I thought he was very determined in puck battles and showed a lot of strength. Once he won a battle through that, he opened up and saw lots of options and plays. The goal was outstanding. I thought he had a burst of speed to match Cozens, who we know has incredib...

*Photo from the Star Herald*     After the celebration, it was time to play hockey. Valeri Nichushkin scored two goals, Artturi Lehkonen had a 3 point game, and the Colorado Avalanche defeated the Chicago Blackhawks with a 5-2 victory on Wednesday night in Denver.    The night started with the raising of the Stanley Cup championship banner to the rafters at Ball Arena. After that, the Avalanche seemingly controlled the game, doing most of their damage on the power play. Lehkonen had two goals and an assist, and Nichushkin added two goals to the equation.    Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar said that there was "Real good commitment and determination tonight. It's good to see. Checking game looked good. We were getting in and out of our zone, arriving in D-zone coverage really well, and getting clean breakouts. The offensive zone play helped, I think. When you're hanging onto the puck and you're able to get moving and shooting a little bit, you're going...

*Photo from ABC7*     That Vegas magic is already making an impact. William Karlsson had a goal and an assist, Mark Stone scored the game winning goal, and the Vegas Golden Knights defeated the Los Angeles Kings with a 4-3 victory on Tuesday night in Los Angeles.    Looking to wash off the stench of a disappointing 2021-2022 season, the Golden Knights got it started the right way, winning new head coach Bruce Cassidy's first game behind the bench. Besides the two point game from Karlsson, Chandler Stephenson and Alex Pietrangelo each had two assist games.    Cassidy said after the game that "I think, for a coach, you're always worried that when you don't know your team that well, it's our first game, what will happen when things don't go well? It's always to me a sign of good character in the room when a team's resilient, so that's a big plus for me no matter how the score turned out."    The only goal of the first period came from Gabe Vilar...