Winnipeg @ New Jersey
The Jets have taken a road-warrior mentality to begin the 2015-16 season.
Mark Scheifele, Blake Wheeler and Andrew Ladd scored in the second period to lead the Jets to their second straight road victory, a 3-1 win Friday at Prudential Center that spoiled John Hynes' debut as New Jersey coach.
Goaltender Michael Hutchinson made 20 saves for the Jets, now 2-0-0 after opening their season with road wins against the Boston Bruins and the Devils on back-to-back nights. Winnipeg has back-to-back games at the New York Islanders on Monday and the New York Rangers on Tuesday before their home opener against the Calgary Flames on Friday.
Jiri Tlusty, who played 20 games for the Jets in 2014-15, had a second-period goal for the Devils, and goaltender Cory Schneider made 27 saves.
Winnipeg scored three times each in the second and third periods of their 6-2 win at Boston on Thursday, and Hutchinson felt the Jets built on that performance against New Jersey. The Devils pulled within 2-1 when Tlusty was credited with a power-play goal after his backhand from the slot deflected off the stick of Jets defenseman Jacob Trouba and past Hutchinson at 12:53.
Tlusty initiated a give-and-go with Mike Cammalleri in the right circle before making a strong move the net. Lee Stempniak, who also played for the Jets last season, had the secondary assist.
New Jersey forward Reid Boucher killed any momentum the Devils may have had after their first goal when he was called for delay of game at 15:21 to give the Jets their third power-play opportunity. Ladd fired a one-timer from the right circle past Schneider one minute later to restore Winnipeg's two-goal lead.
The Devils began pushing the pace in the third and generated four shots during a power-play opportunity late in the period but couldn't beat Hutchinson, who made his first start of the season after Ondrej Pavelec won in Boston.
Trouba helped his goalie with a big block of a shot by Jordin Tootoo at 11:33. The Devils pulled Schneider for an extra attacker with 2:34 remaining and got a 6-on-4 advantage when Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien was whistled for tripping with 20 seconds remaining but could not sustain any offensive pressure.
The Jets didn't appear to be fatigued despite playing on back-to-back nights against a team playing its season-opener. Winnipeg outshot New Jersey 12-4 in the scoreless first period, holding New Jersey without a shot in the final 10:45, before Scheifele and Wheeler scored in the opening four minutes of the second, each on a shot from inside left circle.
Scheifele beat Schneider high over the right shoulder at 1:13, and Wheeler's second goal of the season went over Schneider's left shoulder at 3:56.
Six players acquired by new general manager Ray Shero made their debuts for the Devils on Friday: forwards Tlusty, Stempniak, Kyle Palmieri and Sergey Kalinin, as well as defensemen David Schlemko and John Moore.
Hynes, the NHL's youngest coach at age 40, is preaching patience and persistence this season. The Devils have not qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs since losing in the Final to the Los Angeles Kings in 2012 and went 32-36-14 last season.
Andrew Ladd: "When you get out on the road you want to start putting some wins together and have some fun and I thought we did a good job of finding an even better effort [against New Jersey]. When they make it 2-1 the crowd was getting into it and they had momentum so we needed to answer back in some way and the power play did a good job of coming up with a big goal. A big thing for us [on the power play] is how we're moving the puck. I thought we were quick to pucks and created some chances and it was nice to get a few tries at it."
Michael Hutchinson: "We had a great defensive effort. We blocked a number of their quality scoring chances and our defense did a great job of clearing pucks and limiting their rebounds. Overall I thought I was pretty good with my rebound control, but at the same time whenever there was a rebound, our defense gave me enough time to cover it or move the puck out of the way. We started the game against the Devils the way we finished in Boston. We had a really good first period and just carried the momentum. Last year we were a good first-period team and really took pride in the way we prepared for games. You just have to prepare for each period like you do for the start of the game. We're fortunate the goals are coming are way right now. [Trouba] was battling hard in front of the net and trying to clear the puck but the puck was rolling and it rolled up on his stick a little bit, hit the post and took an unlucky bounce."
Paul Maurice: "I know it was the second game on back-to-back nights, but this was all about how [Hutchinson] played for us last year and where he sits in that locker room for me. He carried the ball for an awfully long time [last season]. There was no doubt in my mind, regardless of what happened against Boston, that we were splitting the goalies in the first two games. We'll how it goes later on."
Jacob Trouba: "We gave up a little too many chances [against Boston] and we want to be aggressive and get our defense up in the play, but at the same time we can't risk 2-on-1s or 3-on-2s the other way. You have to stay with it. Stay tight to the net and have them work around you on the penalty kill. When you get a chance to clear the puck, clear it."
Chicago @ NY Islanders 3-2 OT
Patrick Kane's second goal of the game came on a power play 1:49 into overtime and the Blackhawks spoiled the Islanders' first regular-season game at Barclays Center with a 3-2 win. Kane won it after Islanders defenseman Nick Leddy was whistled for slashing while trying to prevent Marian Hossa from scoring on a breakaway. With Chicago skating 4-on-3, Kane redirected Hossa's feed past goaltender Thomas Greiss to give the Blackhawks their first win of the season. Artem Anisimov also scored in regulation, Duncan Keith had two assists and Corey Crawford made 34 saves for the Blackhawks, who rebounded after a 3-2 season-opening loss to the New York Rangers on Wednesday.
The Blackhawks, who host the Islanders on Saturday, started their first 3-on-3 overtime with three Conn Smythe Trophy winners: Kane, Keith and Jonathan Toews. John Tavares and Marek Zidlicky scored for the Islanders, who opened a new chapter in Brooklyn after playing at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum for 43 years. Greiss made 32 saves for the Islanders, who were missing No. 1 goaltender Jaroslav Halak because of an upper-body injury.
Anisimov opened the scoring with a shorthanded goal at 13:28 of the first period. After the Blackhawks were penalized for having too many men on the ice, Islanders forward Brock Nelson coughed up the puck in the neutral zone to Anisimov, who skated in alone and put a high backhand shot past Greiss for his first goal of the season.
Tavares tied it with his first of the season and the first Islanders goal at Barclays Center 5:22 into the second period. Moments after a roughing penalty to Islanders center Casey Cizikas expired, defenseman Johnny Boychuk sent a pass from the right-wing boards to the near post to Tavares, who worked his way to the front of the net and put his own rebound past Crawford to make it 1-1.
Chicago regained the lead when Kane scored at 15:11. With the teams at even strength, Artemi Panarin ripped a shot from the right circle that hit the crossbar. Greiss lost sight of the puck and Toews sent it in front from behind the net to Kane, who quickly put it into the open right side for his first goal of the season.
Kane is under police investigation for an incident at his offseason home in Hamburg, N.Y.
The Islanders tied it again when Zidlicky scored 1:18 into the third period. Zidlicky, a defenseman who signed as a free agent Sept. 18, took a pass from Nelson and with Mikhail Grabovski setting a screen in front, sent a slap shot from the left point past Crawford to make it 2-2.
Teuvo Teravainen nearly put the Blackhawks back in front with about five minutes remaining when his wrist shot went off each goal post but did not cross the goal line; Bryan Bickell whiffed on the rebound. Tavares had a golden opportunity to give the Islanders their first lead of the night in the final minute of the third period when he intercepted Andrew Shaw's pass in the slot, but his shot went wide.
Joel Quenneville: "That was a big goal for us. First penalty we had to kill all year and we scored shorthanded. You always score shorthanded on the road, you usually have a good night. It turned out to be a big factor in the game. [Kane] scored a big goal. Heck of a play by Jonny. That line was dangerous again with him and [Panarin] there, they've got something going."
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