The Maple Leafs continued to score goals; the Canucks continued to allow too many against; Mike Smith and the Flames were busy allowing zero goals to the Preds, while the Jets picked up a win in their home opener.
Here are five things we learned Tuesday night in the NHL…
Kovalchuk burns ‘former team’ on first NHL goal in 1,933 days
Ilya Kovalchuk scored his first regular-season goal as a member of the Los Angeles Kings Tuesday and in doing so snapped his 1,933-day NHL goalless drought.
The Russian winger had spent the past five seasons with SKA St. Petersburg in the KHL before signing with the Kings in the summer as a free agent.
Kovalchuk’s most recent NHL goal prior to Tuesday took place April 25, 2013, when he notched a third-period game winner against Marc-Andre Fleury and the Penguins. Steve Sullivan and Andy Greene assisted on Kovalchuk’s goal that night, while Tuesday’s was set up by Drew Doughty and Alex Iafallo.
The Kings lost the game 2-1 but it’s somewhat fitting Kovalchuk’s first goal of his second NHL stint came against the Winnipeg Jets. That’s because he is technically Winnipeg’s all-time franchise leader in goals and points among other categories thanks to all his success with the Atlanta Thrashers.
Kovalchuk’s ability to find the back of the net shouldn’t surprise anyone but in case you’re a new NHL fan or need a refresher just know that Kovalchuk is among the greatest goal scorers of his era.
He ranks sixth in total regular-season NHL goals since the turn of the century with 418 and his .51 goals per game is third-best behind only Alex Ovechkin (.61 GPG) and Steven Stamkos (.52 GPG) among players that have played at least 200 games since the 2000-01 campaign.
The 35-year-old continued to produce in his native Russia too. In the five seasons he spent in the KHL after he left the Devils and filed his NHL retirement papers, Kovalchuk registered 120 goals and 285 points in 262 games with St. Petersburg.
Kovalchuk played an average of about 78 games per season and scored roughly 40 goals per year during his first NHL stint (excluding the lockout-shortened 2012-13). Let’s say for the sake of argument Kovalchuk stayed in the NHL and maintained that goal rate (or close to it) over those five seasons he would currently be in the vicinity of 600 career goals, or would have already reached the milestone, one that only 20 NHLers have ever reached.
Gritty might be a bad luck charm for the Flyers
Philadelphia’s mascot Gritty has made quite the impression since being introduced to the world prior to the season, but his first regular-season home appearance went about as bad as it could have for his Flyers.
Gritty sure came in like a wrecking ball alright…but so did the Sharks.
San Jose lit up Brian Elliott early and often en route to an 8-2 drubbing.
Gritty didn’t like what he was seeing, but the same can’t be said for San Jose’s mascot, Sharkie, who chirped his plush peer online.
The beatdown was bad enough that the Philly faithful were even chanting for Carter Hart, a 2016 second-round pick of the Flyers and a potential franchise goalie. Philadelphia hasn’t known consistently strong starting goaltending since Ron Hextall manned the crease.
Hurricanes are winning and ‘making hockey fun again’
Heading into the season the Hurricanes were dubbed by some hockey prognosticators a dark-horse team that could potentially make some noise. Well, they’re off to a solid start.
Carolina is off to a 3-0-1 start to the season and that four-game season-opening point streak is one game shy of tying a franchise record that was set by the Hartford Whalers in 1995-96. That team started 4-0-1, a record Carolina could tie as soon as Saturday when it visits the Wild.
The Hurricanes haven’t done much winning this decade (the team hasn’t made the playoffs since 2009) but this year’s group has started a new tradition after a home victory.
They line up along a blue line and participate in a Skol chant before skating to the far end of the rink and jumping against the glass.
After Sunday’s 8-5 win over the Rangers it was captain Justin Williams who led the chant. Micheal Ferland led the way Tuesday night.
Calvert receives standing ovation in return to Columbus
Matt Calvert spent the first eight years of his NHL career with the Columbus Blue Jackets after the team selected him in the fifth round of the 2008 NHL Draft. Calvert signed a three-year deal with the Colorado Avalanche in July and faced his former team for the first time Tuesday.
Calvert finished the game a pointless minus-1 with two shots on goal in 14:39 of ice time and the Blue Jackets won the game 5-2. Calvert did get a standing ovation during a TV timeout while a video tribute played.
Matthews, Tavares in the company of Gretzky, Robitaille
The Toronto Maple Leafs have scored 20 goals in four games so far this season and 65 per cent of them have been scored by one of Auston Matthews or John Tavares.
Both star centres scored twice in a 7-4 win over the Stars bringing Matthews’ season total to a league-leading seven and Tavares’ to six.
This makes them the first set of teammates with six or more goals each through the team’s first four games of a season since Wayne Gretzky and Luc Robitaille accomplished the feat early in the 1988-89 season with the Kings.
“I don’t think it really surprises too many people,” Mitch Marner, who had a four-point night, said of Matthews’ hot start to the season. “His shot is deadly. He’s always putting himself in a position to shoot the puck. He’s always moving out there and getting in open space. I think that line right now is working really well together. They’re moving the puck and getting open for each other.”
Toronto’s power play has already proven lethal and the team went 2 for 3 with the man advantage Tuesday with Matthews and Tavares each getting one of them.
“I think when we move the puck well and kind of keep things, for the most part, simple, we have a lot of talent and skill out there and we can find each other,” Matthews said of his team’s power play.
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