Toronto v Montreal 4-3 - A night that celebrated the opening of the 2013-14 NHL season with one of the League's oldest rivalries turned somber when that rivalry got a little nasty in the third period. The Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Montreal Canadiens 4-3 to kick off the season Tuesday night, but the game became somewhat of an afterthought following a serious injury to Canadiens forward George Parros. Engaged in their second fight of the game at 2:34 of the third period, Parros and Toronto Maple Leafs tough guy Colton Orr were grappling when Orr suddenly lost his balance and fell. Orr had a hold of Parros' jersey so as he fell he brought Parros down with him, sending him tumbling down and causing him to land on the ice face first. Parros remained motionless on the ice as Orr called to the Canadiens' bench to send the training staff. Blood was on the ice as the Canadiens medical staff sat Parros up and tried to get his teammates to take him off the ice before ultimately deciding to bring out a stretcher. Parros was conscious as he left the ice in a stunned Bell Centre with 21,273 fans barely making a sound other than chants of "Parros, Parros!" as he was wheeled to the Montreal dressing room. Parros was taken to a hospital for further examination, and the Canadiens announced following the game that he had sustained a concussion but was alert and conscious. Parros played for Maple Leafs coach Randy Carlyle with the Anaheim Ducks, and it was difficult for him to see what happened. The incident put a bit of a damper on what was an entertaining hockey game, with the Maple Leafs getting goals from James van Riemsdyk, Dion Phaneuf, Tyler Bozak and Mason Raymond to win the opener in Montreal for the second season in a row. A lot of the credit could have gone to goaltender James Reimer, who stopped 34 Montreal shots, including 15 of 17 in a wild first period, to give the Maple Leafs time to get back in the game. There had been some question as to whether Reimer or Jonathan Bernier would get the start in goal, but Reimer ultimately proved Carlyle right. The line of Lars Eller (two goals, one assist), Ales Galchenyuk (two assists) and Brendan Gallagher (one goal) provided all the offense for the Canadiens. Montreal went 0-for-4 on the power play and allowed Bozak to score shorthanded on a breakaway off an Andrei Markov turnover at 17:19 of the second to give the Maple Leafs a 3-2 lead they would not relinquish. The Canadiens also showed a tremendous lack of discipline, giving the Maple Leafs seven power play opportunities and giving up a goal to van Riemsdyk on a two-man advantage at 8:01 of the first period that gave Toronto a 1-0 lead. Eller tied it for the Canadiens at 10:08 of the first off a great feed from Raphael Diaz, and Gallagher gave the Canadiens the lead 2-1 at 13:54. But Phaneuf's goal at 8:36 of the second tied the game, and Bozak's shorthanded goal gave the Maple Leafs a 3-2 lead heading into the second intermission. Raymond's goal at 5:10 of the third, his first in a Maple Leafs uniform, made the score 4-2 just after the fight between Parros and Orr, causing the Bell Centre to grow even more silent. Montreal made an effort at a comeback when Eller got his second of the game off a Jake Gardiner turnover at 17:38, and a final-minute flurry forced Reimer to make a number of big saves to preserve the win. The Canadiens began the evening with what has now become a tradition of passing a torch from player to player as they are introduced to the crowd, a play on the famous passage written in the Montreal dressing room. It began with a little twist this time as Hall of Fame member Guy Lafleur brought the torch from the Montreal room and handed it to free-agent signee Daniel Briere, who received a loud ovation from fans who booed him for years when he was with the Philadelphia Flyers for choosing to sign with them instead of the Canadiens in 2007.
Washington v Chicago 4-6 - They've had their days with the Stanley Cup, received their championship rings and can now look up to the rafters inside United Center and see their 2013 championship banner hanging next to the one that went up three years ago. It's time for the Chicago Blackhawks to turn the page to defending the Cup. They set their course the right way Tuesday night. After taking part in an emotional 30-minute banner-raising ceremony, the Blackhawks put five pucks past Washington Capitals goalie Braden Holtby and were granted an empty-net goal in the final minute for a 6-4 win in the season-opener for both teams. Chicago had six different goal-scorers, including defenseman Johnny Oduya, who celebrated his 32nd birthday with the game-winning goal. Corey Crawford made 28 saves and the Blackhawks successfully killed off an 86-second 5-on-3 late in the game to preserve the win. The Capitals had a 4-3 lead after center Mikhail Grabovski completed a hat trick in his first game with Washington by tipping a pair of Mike Green slap shots past Crawford for power-play goals within the first 5:16 of the third period. However, Chicago left wing Brandon Saad tied the game with 12:05 left and Oduya scored the winner 5:58 later when his slap shot, which appeared to be going wide, deflected off a defender's stick and was instead redirected into the net by Holtby (29 saves). Marian Hossa was credited with an empty-net goal in the final minute after he was hauled down by Green on a breakaway on his way to scoring. Washington's power play, tops in the NHL last season at 26.8 percent, scored three times on its first four chances. But when the Capitals needed a power-play goal, down 5-4 late in the third period, the Blackhawks' penalty kill, which allowed a League-low 18 goals in 48 games last season, wouldn't allow it. Chicago killed off a pair of overlapping minor penalties, including 86 seconds of 5-on-3, during the final 4 1/2 minutes of the game. Crawford made four saves during the 5-on-3 kill, including a point-blank stop on Eric Fehr, who tried to beat him from the left post. The Blackhawks blocked two shots during the 5-on-3 and another during the 5-on-4 advantage. The puck went into the netting after two of the blocks, giving Chicago's PK a chance to catch its breath and reset. Neither team was able to sustain momentum throughout the game. They traded goals, starting with Brandon Bollig's first career regular-season goal 4:06 into the game, until Grabovski scored twice early in the third period. However, Saad tied the game less than three minutes after Grabovski's second goal when he completed a give-and-go with Michal Handzus. Oduya scored his winner approximately six minutes after that. The defenseman said he was shooting for the far side, hoping for a rebound. He wouldn't rule out the goal being a birthday gift. The Blackhawks knew what was ahead of them when they came into the game. Only one of the past five Stanley Cup champions had won the night they watched their banner go to the rafters. Chicago even ruined the Los Angeles Kings' banner-raising party last season with a 5-2 win at Staples Center. Overcoming the obvious lingering emotion from the half-hour ceremony prior to the game was something the Blackhawks had discussed in depth leading up to Tuesday. They were relieved to be able to do it. They wasted no time doing that. Bollig gave Chicago a 1-0 lead 4:06 into the game, but Alex Ovechkin tied it with a power-play goal at 10:42. However, Patrick Kane gave the Blackhawks the lead back 24 seconds later, ripping a slap shot from the left circle past Holtby. Grabovski tied it again, this time at 2-2, with his first goal of the game 10:30 into the second period. Brent Seabrook cashed in on a power play with 5:28 to play before the second intermission to send the Blackhawks into the break with a 3-2 lead. By that point the ceremony was the last thing on the Blackhawks' minds. Soon enough they found themselves trailing, but like last season, they weren't about to count themselves out. The Blackhawks may not always do things the easy way, but if what happened Tuesday is a sign of things to come, the hard way will work too.
Winnipeg v Edmonton 5-4 - The new guys stole the show Tuesday night, helping the Winnipeg Jets battle back to defeat the Edmonton Oilers 5-4 in the season-opener for both teams at Rexall Place. Michael Frolik scored his first two goals as a Jet and rookie defenceman Jacob Trouba added his first NHL marker in the victory. Mark Scheifele and Brian Little also scored for Winnipeg, which made its first regular-season visit to Edmonton in 17 years. Luke Gazdic, Jesse Joensuu, Boyd Gordon and Ales Hemsky scored for the Oilers, who held a 4-2 lead before conceding three consecutive goals in Dallas Eakins' NHL coaching debut. Trouba stepped in front of cross-ice pass from Taylor Hall at center, took the puck the other way and beat Oilers goaltender Devan Dubnyk at 11:06 of the third period to tie the game. Frolik then collected the winner at 14:58, converting a behind-the-back feed from Eric Tangradi for an easy tap-in. Trailing by two goals in the second period, Frolik started the comeback by beating Dubnyk to the short-side at 16:18. The last time the Jets traveled to face the Oilers was March 29, 1996, a few months before the franchise relocated to Phoenix. Perhaps commemorating the anniversary, the game resembled an old-fashion Smythe Division battle, where the teams traded scoring chances and defense was all but an afterthought. Gazdic, claimed off waivers by the Oilers on Sunday from the Dallas Stars, scored the opening goal 2:21 into the game, bouncing a centering feed off a Jets defenseman and past goaltender Ondrej Pavelec. The Jets tied the game on their first shot when Scheifele beat Dubnyk from a sharp angle at 3:25 of the opening period. Little gave the Jets the lead with the 100th goal of his career, waiting out defenseman Nick Schultz in the slot and beating Dubnyk at 16:12 of the first. Dubnyk had a tough night, giving up five goals on 28 shots. Before the end of the period, Gordon scored his first goal for the Oilers, getting a stick on a point shot from Justin Schultz and tipping it past Pavelec at 18:08. In the second, Hemsky, who the Oilers were trying to trade this summer, gave his team the lead at 3:38, walking around Little in the slot and finding the top corner against Pavelec. Joensuu, who the Oilers signed as a free agent from the New York Islanders, extended the Oilers' lead at 7:53, batting in a rebound past a sprawled Pavelec on the power play. In the third period, Mark Arcobello had the Oilers' best chance to tie the game after his club gave up the lead, but was stopped by Pavelec from in tight. Pavelec finished with 34 saves for the win.
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