On a busy Friday the 13th in the NHL, the Colorado Avalanche and Anaheim Ducks got their fair share of injury scares, the Washington Capitals and Columbus Blue Jackets maintained their status as Eastern Conference titans and the Calgary Flames welcomed Jaromir Jagr to the Saddledome.
Here are four things we learned Friday night in the NHL:
Jagr may be old, but he’s still got hops
The Calgary Flames got dominated on Friday night, as the Ottawa Senators enjoyed goals from six different scorers and a shutout from netminder Craig Anderson. But the evening wasn’t all bad for the Flames faithful. The Albertan club welcomed future Hall of Famer Jaromir Jagr to the Saddledome for the first time Friday night, and the veteran made his presence known in his home debut.
The 45-year-old saw time on the top line with Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau, put in a few minutes with former linemates Sam Bennett and Kris Versteeg, and saw some ice for Calgary’s power play as well. All in all, Jagr finished the tilt with four shots to his name, second-most among all of Calgary’s skaters, behind only young gun Matthew Tkachuk.
While it might be of little solace to fans who saw the Senators rout Calgary for all three periods, Jagr’s Friday night performance had him looking much more accustomed to the pace and rhythm of the big leagues once again. While he looked a step behind for much of his first game with his new team on Wednesday, Jagr looked much better this time around, trading quick dishes with linemates in the offensive zone, using his size and strength to regain the puck on a number of different occasions, and finding space to earn a few quality looks at the cage.
Any hesitation felt by Flames fans after Jagr’s first go-round in Calgary colours was likely quelled during Calgary’s Friday night match, as even in the lopsided loss by the Senators, the future Hall of Famer found ways to contribute all night long.
Ovechkin isn’t the only Capital putting up jaw-dropping numbers
The Great Eight continued his torrid start to the season on Friday, tallying his ninth goal of the year by way of a signature snipe on the power play. But Alex Ovechkin‘s season-leading tally wasn’t even the biggest story of the game, which should tell you all you need to know about Washington’s offensive prowess this season.
Nicklas Backstrom was the big dog this time around, recording a four-point night (one goal, three assists) as Washington took down the New Jersey Devils with a 5-2 win. Evgeny Kuznetsov chipped in with two assists as well, and Ovechkin padded his stat line with a helper.
Where does that leave the high-flying Washington trio? Tied atop the NHL scoring race with 10 points through the Capitals’ first five games. That early success has the Capitals ranking as only the 10th team in history to see three players reach the 10-point plateau this early.
Panarin hasn’t lost a step since swapping jerseys
Entering Columbus’ Friday night tilt against the New York Rangers, marquee off-season acquisition Artemi Panarin had come as advertised, racking up three points in his Blue Jackets debut. But the Russian phenom hit a new level in his club’s 3-1 win over the Rangers.
With the two teams tied at 1-1 approaching the midway point of the third period, Panarin took matters into his own hands, rushing up ice and cutting through the Rangers’ zone with masterful ease to earn his first goal as a Blue Jacket – and the game-winner.
Columbus sought out Panarin’s services in an effort to make their offence more dynamic, according to general manager Jarmo Kekalainen, and with four points through as many games, it’s fair to say the former Chicago Blackhawk has delivered.
The 25-year-old sits tied with rookie Sonny Milano for the team scoring lead.
Ducks’ injury woes are getting worse by the hour
With a number of key names already out of the Anaheim Ducks’ lineup, the club saw their 2017-18 chances sink a little bit lower Friday night as a few more marquee names joined the team’s injury list.
Captain Ryan Getzlaf was held out of the club’s tilt against the Colorado Avalanche with a lower-body injury, and starting netminder John Gibson left the game after the first period. The pair of starters joins a growing list of ailing Ducks that already includes Ryan Kesler, Sami Vatanen, Hampus Lindholm, Ryan Miller, and Ondrej Kase.
The cumulative effect of those losses has been felt by the struggling Ducks previously, but was especially evident on Friday. The Ducks saw the Colorado Avalanche – 2016-17’s worst club – outshoot them by a dominant mark of 39-18 en route to a 3-1 win.
Colorado didn’t escape the match without a few key losses of their own, however, nearly losing an entire line – Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, and Sven Andrighetto – to different injuries over the course of the night. Both Rantanen and Andrighetto returned, but MacKinnon remains sidelined after taking a stick to the eye.
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