NHL - Pacific - October 09-17, 2015

Friday, October 09
Phoenix Coyotes @ Los Angeles 4-1
Max Domi had a goal and an assist in his NHL debut, and goalie Mike Smith made 40 saves in Phoenix's season-opener. Domi, 20, the 12th player taken in the 2013 NHL Draft and the son of former NHL player Tie Domi, beat Kings goalie Jonathan Quick to the glove side with a wrist shot at 4:43 of the second period that gave Phoenix a 3-0 lead. Kings rookie Jordan Weal got knocked off the puck and Connor Murphy set up Domi for his first goal.
Teammate Steve Downie retrieved the puck for Domi, and family members were later seen in the arena corridors taking pictures with the puck. Tobias Rieder made it 4-0 with a wrist shot from the left circle at 6:36 of the second after the Kings again could not get the puck out of their zone. Smith made 14 saves in the third period.
The Coyotes officially turned the page on their second-worst season (24-50-8) since the franchise moved to Arizona in 1996, but Tippett didn't want to look back when asked about Smith having a much better start than the six goals allowed in last season's opener. Phoenix scored four goals on its first 10 shots on an unusually off-night for Quick, who received some sarcastic cheers when he gloved a harmless shot midway through the game. He finished with 18 saves. The Kings were coming off a disappointing 5-1 loss to the San Jose Sharks in their opener and have been outscored 9-2 in their first two games. Tyler Toffoli scored shorthanded at 19:03 of the second for the Kings' goal.
Domi got his first NHL point in the first period when he fed Oliver Ekman-Larsson for a one-timer that beat Quick five-hole at 19:12, just after an Arizona power play expired. Ekman-Larsson was left unguarded, and Domi's pass was facilitated by Martin Hanzal's excellent work to keep the puck in.
Smith likes what Domi injects into their roster. Zbynek Michalek's put-it-on-the net wrist shot near the boards was deflected by the Kings' Nick Shore past Quick 2:00 into the game. Weal also made his NHL debut.

Saturday, October 10
Calgary @ Vancouver 3-2 OT
Johnny Gaudreau scored with 1:57 left in overtime to give the Flames a 3-2 win against the Canucks at Rogers Arena. The Flames, who had 10 third-period comebacks last season, tied the game on Sean Monahan's goal with 11:11 remaining. Gaudreau lost the puck to Brandon Sutter in the Vancouver end, but before the latter could spring Daniel Sedin on a breakaway, Dennis Wideman stripped the puck and it went right to Gaudreau, who skated in on a 2-on-1 and put a shot past Canucks goalie Ryan Miller's blocker short side.
Dougie Hamilton opened the scoring on the power play with his first goal and point for the Flames five minutes into the first period. Hamilton, who was acquired from the Boston Bruins for one first round and two second-round picks at the 2015 NHL Draft, was wide open at the left face-off dot for a nice cross-ice pass from Gaudreau behind the net and had time to pick a corner far side over Miller's glove.
Two of the Canucks' youngest players got them back in the game. Center Bo Horvat, 20, tied the game on a power play two minutes into the second period, collecting his own rebound after a couple good saves in tight and beating Hiller with a shot over the left shoulder and just under the cross bar from below the right face-off circle. It was the first power-play point for Horvat, who was rarely used on the power play as a rookie last season. Jared McCann, a 19-year-old rookie, scored his first NHL goal a little less than 10 minutes later. Flames forward Mason Raymond, who had four shots and three great chances in the first period after being waived earlier in the week and scratched for the season opener, couldn't get the puck out at his own blue line. It ended up being sent across to McCann all alone cutting into the slot and he put a shot over Hiller's glove from the left hash mark.
Miller denied several point-blank chances among his 35 saves. He got across to glove on Michael Frolik on a shorthanded 2-on-1 one-timer late in the second period, and slid left to right to deny Gaudreau's quick shot after another cross-ice pass. But Monahan finally got one past him after being left all alone in front of the net after Canucks defenseman Dan Hamhuis ran into partner Matt Bartkowski in the corner. Gaudreau and Hudler quickly worked the puck out front to Monahan, who spun and got it past Miller's blocker.
The best came from the Flames' top line of Gaudreau, Monahan and Hudler, who controlled play for long stretches in the third period against a Canucks team missing top defensemen Alexander Edler, who was a late scratch because of the flu. Hudler and Gaudreau teamed up again in overtime, but for a group accustomed to comebacks last season, it was nothing new.

Monday, October 12

Vancouver @ Anaheim 2-1 SO
Alexandre Burrows scored the decisive shootout goal and the Canucks spoiled the Sucks' home opener with a 2-1 win at Honda Center. In the first 3-on-3 overtime for the Ducks, they had an advantage when Corey Perry drew a hooking penalty against Canucks defenseman Alexander Edler at 2:42. But they failed to convert on the ensuing power play. Ryan Miller made 28 saves for Vancouver, including three during the penalty kill in overtime. His poke-check on Perry's shootout attempt sealed the win. Miller hasn't been ruled out to start again at the Los Angeles Kings. He's confident that he can handle back-to-back games, and Desjardins says he's played well enough to warrant the start.
Sami Vatanen scored the first goal of the season for the Ducks on a slap shot from the point at 1:56 in the second period.
Adam Cracknell tied the game on a sharp-angle shot at 8:38. Jannik Hansen's shot from the right circle was denied by Ducks goalie Frederik Andersen, but the rebound went right to Cracknell and he put it over Andersen's shoulder. Shawn Horcoff had a golden opportunity to put the Ducks back in front midway through the third period when he broke through the defense and let go a wrist shot from point-blank range that was denied by Miller. Kevin Bieksa faced his former club for the first time since the June 30 trade that sent him from Vancouver to Anaheim.

Tuesday, October 13
Vancouver @ Los Angeles 3-0
Ryan Miller and the Canucks put on a terrific defensive performance in a 3-0 win against the winless Kings at Staples Center. Miller earned his 36th career shutout one night after he led Vancouver to a 2-1 shootout win against the Sucks. The Kings are 0-3-0, have been outscored 12-2 and have one even-strength goal, a slump that harkens back to their pre-2012 offense. They were outshot 20-9 through two periods and could not score on three straight power plays in the opening 11:08 of the third. Kings coach Darryl Sutter called on his top players to lead them out of the dark. The Kings have been through these droughts before, but this is the first time since 1969-70 that they've began the season with three straight regulation losses. Miller was forced to make two saves during the three power plays and handled all other minimal scoring threats to make the lead stand. Sutter changed his lines and put left wing Milan Lucic on the second line but it didn't make a difference.
Defenseman Edler made it 2-0 at 13:23 of the second period when he took a cross-ice pass from Henrik Sedin and beat Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick with a slap shot through traffic. Cracknell's second goal in as many nights came at 5:13 of the second when his shot off Brandon Prust's pass on a rush hit Quick and trickled across the goal line. Cracknell, who was briefly in the Kings organization last year, entered the season without a regular-season goal since April 4, 2013, but has goals in back-to-back games for Vancouver. Dorsett scored an empty-net goal with 2:39 remaining. Quick was trying to rebound from four goals allowed in a 10-shot sequence last Friday in a 4-1 loss to the Coyotes. His best save came with his blocker on Radim Vrbata during a Canucks power play, and he stopped Jannik Hansen on a partial breakaway. Vancouver right wing Jake Virtanen made his NHL debut. Virtanen, 19, was the sixth selection in the 2014 NHL Draft. Matt Greene played three shifts in the third period, but Sutter said it wasn't a physical issue.

Wednesday, October 14
Phoenix @ Anaheim Sucks 4-0
Anthony Duclair, who was acquired from the New York Rangers on March 1, entered the season with one NHL goal but scored three times before the second period was 11 minutes old, showing tremendous quickness and a deft scoring touch. Another Coyotes' rookie, Max Domi, scored his second NHL goal and assisted on Duclair's second goal. Domi has four points in three games, all victories. The Coyotes have outscored their opponents 10-2 and are 3-0-0 for the first time since 2003-04. Coach Dave Tippett credits the speed that the rookies have brought lineup for the Coyotes' fast start. Duclair has benefited from the veteran leadership of center Martin Hanzal on his line and having another fast wing, Tobias Rieder, on the right side. Hanzal assisted on all three of Duclair's goals and has been effective at creating space for the young speedsters on his wings. Hanzal set up the first goal by winning an offensive-zone draw and sending the puck to Duclair, who one-timed it past Anton Khudobin 3:16 into the game. Duclair made it 2-0 with a power-play goal at 9:55 when he fired the rebound of Domi's shot past Khudobin. Domi took the puck in the neutral zone and blew past Ducks defenseman Kevin Bieksa to the net. Domi made it 3-0 when he whipped a high backhander from the right circle into the net at 12:53. That goal ended Khudobin's Anaheim debut; Frederick Andersen, who was receiving a scheduled night off, relieved him and made 20 saves. Duclair completed his hat trick at 10:57 of the second period, beating Andersen from the slot. Speed is the name of the Coyotes' game right now, and that speed was too much for the Ducks. The rest of the night belonged to Smith, who had his first shutout since March 4, 2014. He was aided by a defense that kept Anaheim from generating good scoring opportunities and limited the Ducks' second chances. The Ducks are still struggling to find their offense. They have one goal in three games and are trying to find some sort of offensive chemistry. The Coyotes nearly made it 5-0 at 19:34 of the second period, but with Hanzal falling over Andersen, the goal was waved off for goaltender interference. Tippett used his coach's challenge, but the call was upheld.

Saturday, October 17
Edmonton @ Calgary 5-2
Taylor Hall had a goal and two assists, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Nail Yakupov also scored for Edmonton. The Oilers entered having lost seven in a row to the Flames, including a five-game season-series sweep in 2014-15 that saw Calgary outscore them 21-8. David Jones scored twice for Calgary, which has lost all three games at Saddledome and three in a row overall. It's the first time the Flames have lost their first three home games since 2000-01. The Flames played without 19-year-old forward Sam Bennett, who was a late scratch and is day-to-day because of an upper-body injury. The game was tied 1-1 when McDavid went to work in the second period. After picking up Yakupov's pass in the neutral zone, McDavid raced into the Flames zone and snapped a shot that went through the legs of Russell before beating Hiller to give Edmonton a 2-1 lead at 16:31. It was almost short-lived, but Oilers goalie Cam Talbot came up strong in denying Flames captain Mark Giordano in the slot on a shorthanded 3-on-1 opportunity with 59 seconds remaining in the period.
It took the Oilers 25 seconds to extend their lead in the third. Hall redirected Oscar Klefbom's centering feed from just off the goal line behind Hiller to put Edmonton up 3-1. McDavid quickly helped bump it to three, scooping up the puck on a Giordano bobble behind the Flames net before sending a no-look pass to Benoit Pouliot, who spotted Yakupov to Hiller's left for a tap-in at 2:59.
McDavid, the No. 1 selection in the 2015 NHL Draft, almost put the Oilers up four a minute later, stripping Brett Kulak at the Calgary blue line before working his way in alone on Hiller, who made a desperation save with the paddle of his stick to keep the game 4-1. With McDavid called for hooking, the first minor penalty of his NHL career, Jones worked the Flames back within two. He darted into the Edmonton zone and fired a shot that changed directions after clipping the skate of Oilers defenseman Mark Fayne to beat Talbot over the glove at 10:14. It was his third goal. McDavid scored his second of the night and third of the season with 3:40 remaining, batting a cross-crease pass from Hall past Hiller to extend the Oilers lead to 5-2. After hitting the post 9:45 into the game, Nugent-Hopkins made good on his second attempt when he scored the only goal of the first period. Defenseman Eric Gryba sent a one-timer through a screen that Flames goaltender Jonas Hiller kicked back onto the stick of Nugent-Hopkins, who scored before Hiller could recover to put Edmonton up 1-0 at 12:59. Jones tied the game 1-1 at 5:07 of the second, deflecting Dennis Wideman's rising point shot under the left pad of Talbot. The Oilers hired McLellan as the 14th coach in their history on May 19 after he spent the previous seven seasons with the San Jose Sharks.
Boston Bruins @ Phoenix 5-3
Patrice Bergeron deflected home Ryan Spooner's power-play shot with 10:50 left to put Boston ahead to stay and added another extra-man goal with 1:06 left to help the Bruins defeat the Coyotes 5-3 at Gila River Arena. David Krejci continued his hot start with a goal and two assists to help the Bruins beat the pesky Coyotes for the seventh straight time. They outshot the Coyotes 43-23 and have won back-to-back games after a 0-3-0 start. Krejci has four goals in five games and is tied for the NHL lead with nine points. He set up rookie Tyler Rendell for his second goal in as many games 8:42 into the second period to make it 1-1, then scored Boston's first of three power-play goals at 15:19 to give the Bruins their first lead. Cheap Shot Shane Doan had a goal and two assists, moving him past the 900-point mark in the process. He trails Dale Hawerchuk by 10 goals and 27 points for the all-time franchise record in each category. The Coyotes were outshot 19-4 in the second period and trailed 3-1 early in the third after Marchand snuck behind Phoenix's defensemen during a power play. He took a Tommy Cross pass off the boards and beat Smith on a shorthanded breakaway for a 3-1 lead. But the Bruins were in trouble a few minutes later. With Boston defenseman Adam McQuaid still in the box, Tobias Rieder got the goal back 13 seconds later, scoring for the third time in five games. Kyle Chipchura got the Coyotes even at 7:21, burying a Doan feed behind Boston goalie Tuukka Rask to tie the game 3-3. The tie lasted less than two minutes before Bergeron put Boston back in front. The Coyotes lost forward Joe Vitale after he took several shots to the face during a fight with Boston's Kevan Miller in the second period. He went to the hospital for X-rays after the game.