NHL - St Louis Blues @ Edmonton Oilers 1-3 - Thursday, October 20, 2016

Milan Lucic scored the go-ahead goal early in the third period, and Cam Talbot made 33 saves to help the Edmonton Oilers to a 3-1 win against the St. Louis Blues at Rogers Place.

Edmonton has won two games in a row and four of five to begin the season. They play the Winnipeg Jets in the 2016 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic on Sunday. McDavid set up Lucic's game-winner 36 seconds into the third period, and then scored into an empty net with 38 seconds remaining. He has eight points (four goals, four assists) in five games. Nail Yakupov scored for St. Louis in his first game back in Edmonton since the Oilers traded him to the Blues on Oct. 7. Jake Allen made 20 saves.

Yakupov gave St. Louis a 1-0 lead at 3:37 of the second period on a pass in front from defenseman Joel Edmundson. Tyler Pitlick tied it 1-1 at 6:22 when he tipped Andrej Sekera's shot from the point past Allen for his third goal. Blues coach Ken Hitchcock challenged the goal for goaltender interference, but it was upheld after a video review. St. Louis outshot Edmonton 35-23. Yakupov came close to tying it at 10:10 of the third, hitting the goal post on a rush after he beat Oilers defenseman Eric Gryba wide and cut to the net.

* Pitlick tied it 1-1 when he came out of the corner and tipped a shot from Sekera past Allen before crashing into the goaltender at the top of the crease.

* Allen kept the Blues within a goal with an outstanding save on Jordan Eberle at 7:08 of the third period during an Oilers power play. He slid across to get a pad on a shot from Eberle on a setup from Lucic.

* St. Louis defenseman Jay Bouwmeester kept Edmonton from taking a 2-1 lead late in the second period, getting back to break up a pass from McDavid to Lucic in front at 17:24.

* McDavid and Lucic combined for the winning goal 36 seconds into the third period on a 2-on-2 rush against Bouwmeester and Alex Pietrangelo. McDavid drew the Blues defensemen toward him before sliding a pass to Lucic in front.
* Eberle has a five-game point streak (three goals, three assists). … Pitlick has three goals in five games after he had three in 27 games over the previous two seasons to begin his NHL career. … It took Edmonton 11 games to get four wins last season. … It was the first game this season that Blues forward Alexander Steen was held without a point.

Blues Quotes

Ken Hitchcock: "I think the shot totals were a little bit misleading, we were on the perimeter too much. It was a 1-1 game, right where you want it on the road, and we made a big error on that 2-on-2. That gave them the lead, and we had to open it up a little bit."

Nail Yakupov: "It was a great to be here and play against my old teammates. I was just trying to stay focused on my team and playing the right way. It is all about this team right now. I'm not thinking about my old team. We have a plan here now. I was a little nervous and had a bit of pressure, but after a couple of shifts, it went away."

Jake Allen: "They are not the Oilers of the last few years, I'll tell you that. They are a good hockey club and obviously made some good additions to their team."

Oilers Quotes

Connor McDavid: "Starting 4-1, we couldn't ask for a better start. I think we're feeling pretty good about ourselves, but I think it's about keeping it even keel."
Todd McLellan: "Going into third, we were happy we responded and got the goal from [Pitlick] to tie it up, and then we would see what would come out of it. Scoring fairly early was nice and then having the ability to defend. There were some moments that were nerve-racking, but we settled things down."
Milan Lucic: "It's great that we were able to play a good game against a really good team here tonight. A lot of credit has to go to our goaltending. The way he's been able to bounce back after that Buffalo loss (6-2 on Sunday) has been huge for us in the last two wins. Him making some big saves and keeping us in it, really gave us a chance to win."
"We were able to break the puck out well, jump on a turnover, and Connor did a great job of crisscrossing with me. I just kept going to the net, and obviously he makes a great pass and it was one of those plays where you don't think, you just shoot, and it ends up going in for you."
Cam Talbot: "You can't leave a guy like that alone in the slot, he's got a good skill set, so he's going to bury those most times. We lost him that one time, but we were able to keep the rest out, so that's what matters."

NHL - Los Angeles Kings @ Dallas Stars 4-3 OT - Thursday, October 20, 2016

Alec Martinez scored 1:20 into overtime to give the Los Angeles Kings their first win of the season, 4-3 against the Dallas Stars at American Airlines Center. The victory ended a three-game losing streak for the Kings, who got 17 saves from backup goalie Peter Budaj. Tanner Pearson screened goaltender Kari Lehtonen on Martinez's goal, and Tyler Toffoli got the assist.

Jason Spezza scored to tie it 3-3 with 2:07 remaining in the third period after the Stars pulled goalie Kari Lehtonen for an extra attacker. Spezza put a wrist shot over Budaj's right shoulder after a pass from Tyler Seguin.

Nic Dowd put the Kings ahead 1-0 when he scored his first NHL goal on the Kings' first shot of the game. The 26-year-old rookie finished a quick passing play with Tom Gilbert and Dustin Brown when he beat Lehtonen with a wrist shot from the slot at 8:18 of the first period.

Dallas tied it 1-1 at 11:40 when Budaj mishandled the puck to the left of his net and turned it over to Spezza. He made a quick pass to Radek Faksa, who scored into the vacated net. Jeff Carter gave the Kings a 2-1 lead 1:24 into the second period on a 3-on-2. He took a drop pass from Pearson and picked his spot over Lehtonen's shoulder from the top of the left hash marks. Jamie Benn tied it 2-2 at 5:00 on the power play with a short-side wrist shot.
Pearson gave the Kings a 3-2 lead with 27 seconds remaining in the period. Devin Setoguchi took a hard initial shot that Lehtonen kicked out to his left, where Pearson easily scored on the rebound. Lehtonen made 35 saves.
Kings defenseman Brayden McNabb put a hard hit on Stars left wing Patrick Sharp in the second period. Sharp went into the concussion protocol and did not return. Dallas forward Patrick Eaves left the game with a lower-body injury.

* Martinez's overtime goal allowed the Kings to breathe a sigh of relief after their 0-3-0 start. Pearson drove hard to the net, creating enough space for Martinez to take a wide-open shot from the slot.

* Budaj made his most difficult save with 8:56 remaining in the third period. Antoine Roussel collected a cross-ice pass and took a hard shot high on the stick side that Budaj turned away with his blocker to keep the Kings ahead by one goal for the time being.

"I didn't get as many shots as maybe I'd like, but you have to be ready for moments like that." Budaj said.

* Dowd's first NHL goal was a pretty one. With the Kings on the power play, Brown sent a pass from the top of the left faceoff circle to the top of the right circle for Gilbert, who found Dowd skating to the net. The rookie was patient and slid the puck past Lehtonen's left pad after the goalie committed early on the shot.

* Budaj came up with a big save in the first period with the game tied 1-1 and Dallas pressing. Brett Ritchie drove the net hard and took a backhand shot that Budaj got with his stick. The rebound went straight to Devin Shore, but Budaj kicked out Shore's chance with his right leg at 14:27 while was sliding to his left.

* Dallas right wing Jiri Hudler missed his second game because of illness. … Ruff said the Stars likely will have to call up a player from the American Hockey League after Sharp and Eaves were injured.

Stars Quotes

Jason Spezza: "It would have been a good feel-good win for us if we had pulled that out in overtime. That makes it more frustrating, because it could have been a pretty good feeling."
Lindy Ruff: "The rest of the game was a battle. Considering we lost a couple players, it was a battle. Too many penalties, but I liked how hard we battled. You kill too many penalties, it kills the rhythm."


Peter Budaj: "We know what kind of group of guys we have. This wasn't us, starting 0-3. We definitely showed today in a hot building against a very good team we came out hard. We outshoot them and we played a real strong defensive game. It was great to see the guys have that desperation."

NHL - Toronto Maple Leafs @ Minnesota Wild 2-3 - Thursday, October 20, 2016

Eric Staal scored twice, and the Minnesota Wild won their third straight game, 3-2 against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Xcel Energy Center. Wild forward Zac Dalpe tied the game 2-2 at 2:27 of the third period, and Staal scored his second at 11:53, through a screen by Zach Parise. In his first season with the Wild, Staal leads Minnesota (3-1-0) with three goals in four games. He had 13 goals in 83 games last season with the Carolina Hurricanes and New York Rangers.

Auston Matthews scored on a rebound off a William Nylander shot at 15:28 of the second period to give Toronto a 2-1 lead. It was Matthews' fifth goal of the season, his first since his four-goal debut against the Ottawa Senators in the season opener on Oct. 12. Maple Leafs defenseman Jake Gardiner passed to Roman Polak at the point, and he made it 1-0 at 9:13. Minnesota has allowed the first goal in each of its games. The Wild tied it 1-1 at 10:09 of the second, when Charlie Coyle found Staal for a breakaway.

* Dalpe kept Maple Leafs forward Connor Brown at bay and controlled the puck down the right side of the ice before cutting toward the net and shooting the puck top shelf to tie the game.

"That's what we work hard in the summer for. Thank my brother for playing defense all summer. We had some 1-on-1 battles and I came out on top. He came out on top. It was nice to get a goal. An Ontario kid (Paris) scoring against the [Maple] Leafs, that was a pleasure for sure." Dalpe said.

* At 12:38 of the second period, Toronto goalie Jhonas Enroth made a blocker save against Christian Folin but lost his stick. Enroth continued to play 30 seconds without a stick and stopped two Minnesota shots.

"I thought he played pretty good," Babcock said of Enroth's debut with the Maple Leafs. "In the end, we give up two goals in the third, so it's one of those things we [have to] find a way to keep the puck [out of] our net."
* Dubnyk lost his stick after Matthews' shot hit the crossbar on a Toronto power play at 15:06 in the third. Dubnyk made one more save and Minnesota successfully killed the penalty to keep the 3-2 lead.
* Coyle spun off the boards to find Staal skating up the center. Staal had two steps on the defenseman and tied the game.
"I mean, yeah, it feels good to contribute. Any time you come to a new team, you want to be a contributing player right away." Staal said.
* Matthews leads the NHL with five goals. …Toronto defenseman Martin Marincin was out with a lower-body injury. Babcock said it doesn't appear to be serious. Polak replaced Marincin in the lineup. … Minnesota defenseman Jared Spurgeon left the game at 11:20 of the third period and is day to day with an upper-body injury. … Wild defenseman Marco Scandella was scratched because of illness. Matt Dumba, who was expected to be a healthy scratch, replaced Scandella in the lineup. … Coyle extended his point streak to four games with an assist.

Wild Quotes

Eric Staal: "I never felt like I forgot how to play. I knew I could play and I've been in this league a long time. But I needed to come here [to Minnesota] and be ready in training camp, and be fit and hungry. I've done that, and now it's about continuing to build. It's only been four games. I've got a long way to go, but it's been a good start for me and hopefully this team keeps picking up wins, because that's what it's all about."
Bruce Boudreau: "It looks familiar. So I do (respect Dalpe). You have a little extra place in your heart for the minor-league guys that come up that have played most of their life in the minor leagues and then they come up and they end up doing a really good job when given the chance."

Mike Babcock: "I thought we played well tonight. [We] controlled a lot of play with lots of real good chances. You [have to] give their goalie (Devan Dubnyk, 31 saves) a lot of credit. And we shot it wide of lots of empty nets. We're still set up, though, going into the third to find a way to win a game and we didn't do that.
"I didn't think we got on our heels at all tonight, though. … In the end, they shot it in our net and we didn't shoot it in theirs."
"I like the way we play. I like how quick we play. I'd like us to win the games we should win, but I think we've done a lot of good things. We're .500 after four (1-1-2), and as we grow up here a little bit, we just [have to] hang in the hunt the best we possibly can because we're going to get better fast. I like our back end. I like the depth we have up front, and so we just [have] to keep the puck out a little better."

NHL - San Jose Sharks @ Pittsburgh Penguins 2-3 - Thursday, October 20, 2016

The Penguins didn't play a pretty game. They didn't care. Pittsburgh scored three third-period goals to earn a 3-2 win against the San Jose Sharks at PPG Paints Arena. With the Penguins trailing 2-0, Evgeni Malkin and Scott Wilson scored two quick goals to erase the deficit.

Malkin sent a wrist shot through traffic, and Sharks goalie Martin Jones, at 6:47 to cut the deficit to 2-1. Malkin has five points and two goals in five games this season. Wilson scored 2:15 later to tie the game 2-2 by jamming a shot past Jones. It was his first goal since March 6, when he scored Pittsburgh's final goal in a 6-1 win against the New Jersey Devils.
After Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic was called for slashing, Patric Hornqvist scored Pittsburgh's third goal for a 3-2 lead with 5:28 remaining.

Pittsburgh rebounded from a 4-0 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday to win a Stanley Cup Final rematch against San Jose. Sharks forwards Joe Pavelski and Mikkel Boedker, and defenseman Paul Martin, were frustrated in the result.

Sharks forward Tomas Hertl opened the scoring 5:04 into the second period when he tipped a shot off the back of goalie Marc-Andre Fleury's pad and into the net for his second goal in as many games.

Hornqvist seemed to score a tying power-play goal with 6:41 remaining in the second, but it was disallowed following a review when it was ruled he used his hand to bat the puck into the net.
The Sharks extended their lead to 2-0 with 3:45 remaining in the second when Logan Couture and Patrick Marleau converged on Fleury. Trading passes down the ice, Couture slipped a final pass through Chris Kunitz and defenseman Ian Cole, setting up Marleau for a wrist shot under Fleury.
The Penguins played the third period with four defensemen after Derrick Pouliot and Olli Maatta sustained apparent injuries late in the second period. Sullivan did not provide an update after the game.

* On a power play late in the third period, Phil Kessel shot into San Jose's crease, with the rebound bouncing to Hornqvist in front. Hornqvist shot off Martin's skate and the right post before the puck slid over the goal line to give Pittsburgh a 3-2 lead.

* After the Penguins tied the game 2-2, Jones temporarily kept them from taking the lead after the puck bounced into the crease. Jones reached back between his legs to grab the puck and deny Hornqvist's attempt to jam it into the net with 8:50 remaining.

* Malkin cut San Jose's 2-0 lead in half after a shot from Kessel ricocheted off a stick and into the air. Sharks defenseman Justin Braun and Martin attempted to bat the puck away, but it landed on Malkin's stick, allowing him to spin and take a wrist shot that beat Jones.

* With the Penguins struggling offensively late in the second period, Sullivan decided to break up the 'HBK' Line of Nick Bonino centering left wing Carl Hagelin and Kessel, who was moved to Malkin's line. The combination seemed to work when Malkin scored.

* Pouliot played his first game of the season with defenseman Kris Letang day-to-day because of an upper-body injury. He played 12:29 before leaving with an apparent injury. … Sharks forward Matt Nieto returned to the lineup after being scratched in San Jose's 3-2 win against the New York Islanders on Tuesday.

Pens Quotes

Mike Sullivan: "I don't know if it would be a win the way we, quote unquote, drew it up. I said to the guys after the second period that you can win ugly in this league. You don't get points for style at the end of the night."
Evgeni Malkin: "I liked what we did in the third period. We have leadership. We played right. We played smart."

Sharks Bites

Paul Martin: "We didn't close it out. We played well the first two (periods). We took a couple penalties. We gave them momentum. It wasn't one of our better periods."
Joe Pavelski: "I feel like they got a bounce or two, but the position we're in, it shouldn't matter how many bounces they get."
Peter DeBoer: "This league is a race to three goals. That's pretty much how it works. We couldn't get the third goal."

NHL - Toronto Maple Leafs @ Winnipeg Jets 4-5 OT - Wednesday, October 19, 2016

Patrik Laine scored his first NHL hat trick, including the game-winning goal with 2:20 left in overtime, when the Winnipeg Jets defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-4 at MTS Centre. Laine, the No. 2 pick in the 2016 NHL Draft, scored after Auston Matthews, the No. 1 pick, was stopped on a breakaway by Jets goalie Michael Hutchinson. Laine scored 1:00 into the third period and with 55 seconds left to tie it 4-4. The Jets scored five goals in a row, three in the third period after trailing 4-1 for the second time this season.

Mark Scheifele had a goal and two assists, and Tyler Myers scored for Winnipeg. Hutchinson made 36 saves. Nazem Kadri had two goals, and Connor Carrick and William Nylander scored for the Maple Leafs. Frederik Andersen allowed five goals on 34 shots. Carrick gave the Maple Leafs a 1-0 lead at 6:46 of the first period. Kadri made it 2-0 at 16:12. Nylander made it 3-0 at 6:47 of the second period with the Maple Leafs on a 5-on-3 power play. Matthews got his first NHL assist on the goal.

Kadri scored his second of the game eight seconds later at 6:55 on the power play. Myers scored Winnipeg's first goal of the game at 13:04 of the second period. Laine scored his second NHL goal by spinning off his check and sending a quick shot past Andersen to make it 4-2. Scheifele made it 4-3 on his third goal of the season at 6:05. Laine tied the game 4-4 with his second of the game on the power play. 

* After Matthews' breakaway was stopped by Hutchinson, Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien picked up the rebound and picked out Laine, who streaked down the right side and sent a wrist shot up and over Andersen's glove hand.

* Seconds before Laine's game-winner, Hutchinson denied Matthews on his attempt to go five-hole to win the game for the Maple Leafs after Nylander made a pass to send him on the breakaway.
* Scheifele's goal made it 4-3 and gave the Jets enough time to tie the game.

* Laine's overtime goal to complete his first NHL hat trick, which led to a celebration to the left of Andersen's goal as hats rained from the crowd.

Jets Quotes

Patrik Laine: "Those two periods we were playing so bad, I don't know why, including me. You shouldn't let the other guys score four goals and then start to play. The third period was just amazing from us, again."
"It was just two against one. I'm better two against one from the other side so I decided to shoot. It [overtime goal] just went right where I wanted it to be. It was an amazing feeling."
Paul Maurice: "Two great young players that are going to give their fans reasons to have nights like this over the course of the year and their careers. Starting now. We've just seen brilliance from both of them in the first four games of the season. Lucky for Winnipeg fans and lucky for Toronto fans, they'll get to watch two great young players."

Leafs Quotes

Mike Babcock: "It's disappointing. Any time you're up, you want to shut the game down and you want to take care of it and keep playing.
"But I thought we didn't stay with it the same way and I thought they got better in the third, and in the end we get what we get."
"[Laine] scored three goals. Pretty good. I've seen him a number of times, I know he's a really good player."
It was the first NHL regular-season game between Matthews and Laine.

Austin Matthews: "It's late in the game in overtime. It's tough to make moves, the ice is a little rough, so I tried [to] slide it in there. The goalie read it well, and it's 3-on-3, so you get the puck going one way, it's an odd-man rush the other."

* The Jets inducted the "Hot Line" of Anders Hedberg, Ulf Nilsson and Bobby Hull as the inaugural Hall of Fame class during a ceremony prior to the game.

        

NHL - St Louis Blues @ Vancouver Canucks 1-2 OT - Tuesday, October 18, 2016

Vancouver center Bo Horvat scored to tie it on a rebound in tight with 2:55 left in the third period, and captain Henrik Sedin scored 1:40 into overtime to give the Canucks a 2-1 win against the St. Louis Blues at Rogers Arena. Vancouver is the first team in NHL history to win the first three games of a season without leading in regulation in any of them. The Canucks were 3-30-1 last season when trailing after the second period but have defeated the Calgary Flames, Carolina Hurricanes and Blues with third-period comebacks to start this season.

Jacob Markstrom made his 23rd save with his glove at one end and started the winning rush by playing the puck instead of holding it. At the other end, Daniel Sedin skated in alone inside the bottom of the left faceoff circle before passing across to Henrik for a shot just inside the post past goalie Jake Allen.
Allen made 24 saves, and Vladimir Tarasenko scored his fourth goal midway through the second period for the Blues, who failed in their bid to start a season with four straight wins for the second time in their history. It's just the second time the Blues have had a point in four games to start a season.

* Tarasenko handcuffed Markstrom with a wrist shot under his glove from the right faceoff circle for his fourth goal and sixth point.
"Every time the puck is in his hands, he's dangerous." Pietrangelo said of Tarasenko.

* Canucks right wing Loui Eriksson appeared to have an empty net on a power play in the first period when the puck bounced to him at the left edge of the crease with Allen moving the other way. But Allen hung his right pad and got the toe on Eriksson's backhand swipe.

* After gloving down Pietrangelo's slap shot in overtime, Markstrom quickly skated to the other side of his crease and dropped it to start the rush that led to the winning goal.
"(In) 3-on-3 (overtime), you really want the puck, that's huge. They were really tired too, so they couldn't really forecheck on me." Markstrom said.

* Allen was good, and lucky, early in the second period, denying Henrik and Daniel Sedin on great chances but getting a break when Horvat and Markus Granlund hit the post two minutes apart.
* It was a surprise start for Markstrom after No. 1 goalie Ryan Miller said he was "tight" when he arrived at the rink. Coach Willie Desjardins said he expects Miller to skate Wednesday, but in the meantime, the Canucks signed University of British Columbia goalie Matt Hewitt to an amateur tryout contract as the emergency backup against the Blues. … St. Louis centers Jori Lehtera and Kyle Brodziak each sustained an upper-body injury against the New York Rangers on Saturday, so Alexander Steen dropped from right wing on the top line to center on the second.

Blues Quotes

Ken Hitchcock: "The puck was on our stick three times when we gave up the goal. If we would have skated with it three times, it's out. But we just shoveled it and made it someone else's problem. It ended up in the back of our net."

Alex Pietrangelo: "It's tough at the end to give one up like that. We sat back. We had some good energy, then we started to sit back. We just didn't execute at the end of the third like we had to. We got a point out of it. So far it's a point in every game."

NHL - Philadelphia Flyers @ Chicago Blackhawks 4-7 - Tuesday, October 18, 2016

Artem Anisimov, Patrick Kane and Artemi Panarin combined for 11 points to make sure Marian Hossa's 500th NHL goal didn't come in a Chicago Blackhawks loss. After blowing a 4-0 lead, Chicago got three straight goals from its second line in the third period to defeat the Philadelphia Flyers 7-4 at United Center.

After the Blackhawks scored three goals in the first, Hossa made it 4-0 at 5:04 of the second to become the 44th player in NHL history to score at least 500 goals.

Hossa ranks fourth among active players in NHL goals, trailing Florida Panthers right wing Jaromir Jagr (749), Colorado Avalanche right wing Jarome Iginla (612) and Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (526).

The Flyers responded with four straight goals of their own, including two by Matt Read and the equalizer by Wayne Simmonds on the power play at 3:49 of the third. Anisimov, Kane and Panarin took it from there. Anisimov scored at 10:24, Panarin made it 6-4 at 16:03, and Anisimov scored into an empty net with 45 seconds left.

Kane had a goal and three assists. Panarin had two goals and an assist. Goalie Michal Neuvirth started for the Flyers and made 12 saves before he was pulled following Hossa's goal. Steve Mason made nine saves on 11 shots. Corey Crawford made 23 saves for the Blackhawks (2-2-0), who have allowed nine power-play goals in 17 times shorthanded through their first four games.

* Hossa's goal was a classic effort by the 37-year old. He took a cross-ice pass from Anisimov and went strong to the net. After getting a step on defenseman Andrew MacDonald, Hossa sent a backhand shot between Neuvirth's pads.

"I definitely didn't want to [score] 500 into an empty net. I'm just glad it happened during the game, and it just feels good. I'm just happy about it." Hossa said.

* Mason kept the Flyers within a goal by making a left-pad save to rob Kane of a goal with 6:07 left in the third period. Kane got a pass all alone in the slot, but Mason stopped his wrist shot while doing the splits.

* The Blackhawks took a 1-0 lead on Kane's goal 56 seconds into the game. Anisimov carried the puck into the Flyers zone and stopped in the slot for a wrist shot. Neuvirth made the save, but Kane scooped the rebound behind the net and tucked it inside the right post.

* Anismov's first goal gave the Blackhawks a 5-4 lead. After defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson broke up a pass in the neutral zone, Panarin gathered the puck near the Flyers blue line, gave it to Kane and went low for a return pass. Once he got back the puck, Panarin sent a pass to Anisimov for a tap-in goal. He had two goals and two assists.

* Blackhawks rookie forward Ryan Hartman missed his second game with a lower-body injury but hopes to return at the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday. … Flyers forward Michael Raffl left in the second period with an upper-body injury. … Forward Brayden Schenn and defenseman Radko Gudas each missed the game while serving a suspension. … Philadelphia forward Roman Lyubimov made his NHL debut.

Hawks Quotes

Artem Anisimov: "Sometimes, it happens in a game. The games go both ways, but it's a good thing. We find a way to score after [losing the lead] and get it done and get the two points for us. That's the most important thing."
"It was so exciting. I'm just so happy for him. He scored 500 goals. It's a huge milestone for him, and when I saw the puck cross the line, I was so happy from inside, and I just screamed like a kid, you know."
Marion Hossa: "To tell you the truth, it just felt great. Great reception from the fans and just kind of my career just really quick. It's 500 goals. I'm just glad to be a part of that company and thank all my teammates who I played with."

NHL - Los Angeles Kings @ Minnesota Wild 3-6 - Tuesday, October 18, 2016

Six players scored for the Minnesota Wild in a 6-3 win against the Los Angeles Kings at Xcel Energy Center. Los Angeles (0-3-0) has lost three in a row to start the season. Minnesota (2-1-0) won its second straight.

Kings forward Tanner Pearson scored 50 seconds into the first period to give Los Angeles a 1-0 lead. Minnesota answered at 1:36, when Nino Niederreiter poked the puck to Erik Haula, who sped up left wing for the tying goal. Jason Pominville scored for Minnesota at 19:48 for a 2-1 lead.

The Wild scored three goals in 4:30 of the second period. Charlie Coyle scored on the power play at 12:38 to make it 3-1, Mikko Koivu made it 4-1 at 16:11, and Teemu Pulkkinen gave Minnesota a 5-1 lead at 17:08.
Dwight King scored for the Kings on a rebound at 6:42 of the third, and Pearson scored his second of the game at 14:35 to make it 5-3. Minnesota's Jared Spurgeon scored into an empty net with 2:18 left.

* Haula sailed a pass to Pominville, who broke down left wing for a snap shot over goalie Jeff Zatkoff's shoulder with 12 seconds left in the first period. The goal was Pominville's first of the season. He went 21 games before he scored his first goal last season (Nov. 28).

* Haula had his second breakaway at 7:50 of the first period. Stickhandling from his forehand to his backhand, Zatkoff made a glove save to keep it 1-1.

* Minnesota blocked 25 shots; Los Angeles had four.

* Minnesota killed a 49-second, 5-on-3 power play that started at 9:21 of the second period. The Wild are 11-for-11 on the penalty kill in three games.
* Coyle extended his point streak to three games.

Quotes

Erik Haula: "That's winning hockey, and it starts with guys like Zach [Parise]. Everyone's doing a great job, and that's how you win games."
Bruce Boudreau: "That was, to me, the turning point of the game. That 5-on-3 was huge. We were up 2-1 at the time and I think we scored two or three minutes after that to make it 3-1. It was pretty deflating probably on their bench going, 'What do we have to do? We hit the post. We have 5-on-3s. We have good looks.'"
"[The Kings] must've been pretty frustrated after the first period, I think. They hit four posts and they go in losing in a period they should've won. Like I told the players, not every game can be a Picasso. We found a way. We weren't great tonight, but we found a way to win. The bottom line is, this league is really tough to win games, and so when we can win games whatever the way they are, however we do it, it's a win."
Jason Pominville: "Yeah, it feels better than it did last year for sure. It was a good game; we obviously didn't get the start we wanted, but we made our push and gave ourselves enough of a cushion where they made their push in the third and we kept our composure. We never panicked, and that's usually a sign of a good team. We stuck with it and found a way [to win]."
Darcy Kuemper: "Yeah, I got away with a couple there. The post is a goalie's best friend, and they bailed me out a little bit early. After the first, I felt my game got a lot better and I started to feel more comfortable, more up to the game speed. Luckily I got bailed out a little bit early."

Kings Quotes

Anze Kopitar: "There's a lot of factors to the 0-3 start. "We just have to be better. That's the bottom line. … We're just not playing good enough hockey now. We're going to have to come back to work and clean it up. Giving up four and six goals, that's just not going to cut it. You don't have to be a scientist to figure it out. Cut that down and go from there."
Darryl Sutter: "I said it when (goalie) Jonathan [Quick] got hurt. There's not one thing I can do about it or anyone can do about it. I expect the guys who are in there to play as well as they can, and if they play as well as they can, that's good. That's all you can do. That's what you do, right?"

        

NHL - Dallas Stars @ Nashville Predators 2-1 - Tuesday, October 18, 2016

Jason Spezza's goal at 9:15 of the third period gave the Dallas Stars a 2-1 win against the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena. Stars forward Antoine Roussel passed the puck to the middle of the ice and Spezza was able to slide the puck past Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne from the crease for his first goal of the season. Adam Cracknell gave the Stars a 1-0 lead at 2:55 of the second period on a redirection. Defenseman Johnny Oduya took the original shot from the point, it was redirected by forward Curtis McKenzie and Cracknell past Rinne for Cracknell's second goal.

Predators captain Mike Fisher tied the game 1-1 at 4:27 of the second on the power play. Forward Filip Forsberg passed a puck that deflected off of Roussel and went to Fisher, who was able to shoot it past Stars goaltender Kari Lehtonen for his second goal.
The Stars outshot the Predators 16-4 in the first period, but Rinne was able to make key saves to keep the score 0-0 after one period. Rinne finished with 35 saves. Lehtonen had 27 saves. Stars defensemen Jamie Oleksiak and Esa Lindell replaced Patrik Nemeth and Jordie Benn in the lineup on the third defense pairing. Predators forward Cody Bass replaced Miikka Salomaki in the lineup on the fourth line. Salomaki will miss 6-8 weeks with an upper-body injury.

* Spezza scored the game-winning goal on a scramble play in the crease. Roussel made a backhand pass toward the Predators net and Spezza was able to battle for the puck and slide it past Rinne for his first goal.

* Rinne stopped Stars forward Jamie Benn on a backhand attempt from the slot in the first period. Benn was all alone in the slot, Rinne was able to get a piece of his backhand attempt and direct the puck away from the net.

* Roussel made a diving play on the backcheck to disrupt an odd man rush heading toward the Stars net in the second period. Predators forward Mike Ribeiro had the puck on an odd-man rush and was attempting to make a cross-ice pass. Roussel came in from behind the play and dove to disrupt the pass to keep the game 1-1.
* Cracknell scored the first goal of the game for the Stars on a double redirection. Oduya took the shot, McKenzie redirected it and then Cracknell redirected it again past Rinne.
* Spezza played on the right wing on the Stars' third line with Roussel and forward Radek Faksa. Spezza and Faksa both took faceoffs situationally and both players finished with a 60 percent faceoff winning percentage or better. Spezza was 3-of-5 in the faceoff circle and Faksa was 7-of-11.
Predators defenseman Anthony Bitetto will be out for 4-6 weeks with an upper-body injury. Bitetto sustained the injury in a fight with Chicago Blackhawks forward Jordin Tootoo in the second period of a 3-2 win Friday.

Quotes

Lindy Ruff: "I thought we came out and set the tone in the first period. Played a real sound first and didn't get really rewarded for it, but I think we set the tone when we got the number of shots we did. I thought we played a game that we'll win a lot of hockey games [playing]."
"I thought they played well. I thought both of them played well. Like I said this morning, we've got eight defensemen here that can play."
Jason Spezza: "Depth in the League is so important now. You need contribution from every line different nights. I think there's going to be a lot of games in a short period of time so for [role players] to step up. Early in the year you see that sometimes, too. The goals are around the net."
Adam Cracknell: "Just a little hungrier around the net, getting available for that open shot. You're not always going to have the perfect shot. I think [Oduya] was just shooting at the middle of the net, it goes off of McKenzie and then off of my foot and in. We're just in the right areas, and we've got to go where the puck goes."