3 things we learned in the NHL: Kane off to hot start

Watch as Evander Kane scores on a perfect shot from outside against Jonathan Quick as the Sharks take on the Kings.

On a slow night in the NHL with just two games in action, a player lived up to his recent big contract, a rookie found the scoresheet and a new goalie picked up a win for his new team.

Here are three things we learned in the NHL on Friday.

Kane comes out hot

Fresh off a new contract with the San Jose Sharks, Evander Kane — who was acquired at last season’s trade deadline — has gotten off to a hot start in the young 2018-19 season.

Kane wristed an absolute snipe short side over Jonathan Quick‘s shoulder in the first period of their game against the Los Angeles Kings on Friday, giving the 27-year-old two goals through two games.

While a small sample size, the instant productivity is surely a joy to see in the Sharks’ front office considering they dished out $49 million for seven years to the forward back in May.

While the contract may have seemed hefty to lock in a player who has just one 30-goal season on his resumé, and past off-ice issues, the raw talent is undeniable. He seemed to fit in nicely with San Jose last year, scoring nine goals and five assists in the 17 regular season games to close out the 2017-18 season.

As far as starts go, Kane is at least laying the groundwork to live up to both his potential and the dollars heading into his bank account this season.

Svechnikov gets his first point

The Carolina Hurricanes‘ newest toy has found himself on the scoresheet for the first time.

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Andrei Svechnikov — the second-overall pick in the 2018 draft — entered the Columbus Blue Jackets‘ zone early in the first period and slid a pass over to Jordan Martinook, who fired it into the back of the net, giving the 18-year-old his first NHL point in just the second game of his career.

At 18 years and 193 days old, Svechnikov became the third-youngest Hurricanes player to record their first point, behind Paul Lawless and Jeff Skinner.

McElhinney gets a win for yet another team

Newly acquired Hurricanes goaltender Curtis McElhinney, who just joined the team via waivers on Tuesday, was stellar in his debut, allowing one goal while making 31 saves to pick up the win for his new club.

The career backup now has wins with seven different NHL clubs: the Hurricanes, the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Blue Jackets, the Phoenix Coyotes, the Ottawa Senators, the Anaheim Ducks and the Calgary Flames.

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