NHL Daily: Opening Night, Connor McDavid, Patrick Marleau, Rosters

Today’s daily dose of NHL news features updates about Connor McDavid, rosters, and Patrick Marleau.

Hockey is back. The NHL made quite the statement on Wednesday night, as the initial four-game slate saw all but one game feature a team with at least five goals. Thursday is the more common opening night, as eight teams have their season opener.

Let’s take a look at the news from around the league and from around FanSided.

Puck Prose

In case you missed it, we had a busy day here at Puck Prose yesterday. First of all, our initial power rankings are out. If you haven’t already done so, check them out. Secondly, we’re in tune with the rest of the league and like telling fascinating, compelling stories. One of the most interesting early on has been the rise of Los Angeles Kings forward Alex Iafallo. Entering LA’s opening night, he’s penciled in as a wing on Anze Kopitar’s line.

The Winnipeg Jets did not have a good night on the ice (more on this later), but off of it, they did great. They signed young forward Nikolaj Ehlers to a seven-year extension worth $42 million. This will go into effect starting next season. Also, we took a look at their five best free agent signings in franchise history.

From Around FanSided

FanSided has team blogs for each NHL team. Be sure to check them out. To help you do that, we’ll be linking to a lot of our sister sites! The Vegas Golden Knights roster limbo continues as they’re bringing in former New York Rangers, Florida Panthers, Anaheim Ducks and Chicago Blackhawks forward Brandon Pirri. Pirri was previously signed to a PTO by the Panthers.

Though the Calgary Flames lost 3-0 to the Edmonton Oilers, goaltender Mike Smith was one of the lone bright spots for the former. On the other side of the ice, Connor McDavid and Cam Talbot shined for the Oilers.

Nightly Recap

More from Puck Prose

The Toronto Maple Leafs got off to a great start to their season, beating the Winnipeg Jets 7-2. Auston Matthews has regressed from last season, as this time around, he only put up three points on Opening Night. Patrik Laine had an assist while Mark Scheifele and Mathieu Perreault scored the lone two goals.

For the Leafs, Nazem Kadri, Patrick Marleau (twice), Matthews, James van Riemsdyk, William Nylander and Mitch Marner were the goal scorers. Marleau might be old enough to be Matthews’ father, but the man ages like a fine bottle of merlot. He’s an incredibly underrated forward. It’s easy to overlook his consistency when Alex Ovechkin scores 30 goals a year just by falling out of bed in the morning. But very few players have been as consistent at putting the puck in the net as Marleau. He already looks like a good fit for the Leafs.

Meanwhile, the Jets can’t be encouraged by Steve Mason’s performance. He has been very good as recently as the 2015-16 season. However, Jason Chimera’s infamous just short of half ice goal against Mason in the postseason seems to have broken him. He allowed five goals on 20 shots.

The St. Louis Blues spoiled the Pittsburgh Penguins party, beating them 5-4 in overtime. Brayden Schenn was himself in his Blues debut, picking up a goal and an assist. To complete his personal hat trick, he committed a baffling late penalty by closing his hand on the puck. This allowed the Penguins to get a five on three power play, on which the Pens promptly scored two goals to tie the game.

Vladimir Sobotka picked up two assists, as did Jaden Schwartz. Paul Stastny got a goal and an assist. Alex Pietrangelo scored two goals, including the game-winner. For the Penguins, Jake Guentzel, Bryan Rust, and Evgeni Malkin each got two assists.

The Oilers beat the Flames 3-0. McDavid picked up his first career natural hat trick. Would have thought he had one before last night. It’s hard to gauge how a team is after just 60 minutes of playing time, but the Oilers look fast and scary. Leon Draisaitl had two assists. Talbot did very well in net, stopping each of the 26 shots on goal he saw.

If you didn’t notice, in each of the first two games, the road team won. This tradition continued in the game between the Philadelphia Flyers and San Jose Sharks. Wayne Simmonds got a hat trick to lead Philly to a 5-3 victory. Jakub Voracek and Shayne Gostisbehere dominant the entire evening, picking up three assists. Shockingly, the trio were the only Flyers with multiple points. Brian Elliott had a strong night in net, stopping all but one of the 25 even strength shots he faced. He did, however, allow two power-play goals.

Next: Every NHL Team's Mount Rushmore

For the Sharks, Kevin Leblanc got two goals. Logan Couture scored the other. Brent Burns and Joe Thornton each picked up an assist. Martin Jones had a rough night in goal, allowing three power play goals and one at even strength. Simmonds’ final goal to complete the hat trick was an empty netter.

Home/NHL News