One good thing that came from the lockout is that there are a number of compelling games every night. Here is a quick tour around the nine NHL games from Tuesday night.
Jan 22 2013; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Avalanche right wing P.A. Parenteau (15) reacts to his goal during the third period of the game against the Los Angeles Kings at the Pepsi Center. The Avalanche defeated the Kings Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
- Tobias Enstrom had three assists as the Winnipeg Jets scored 4 times sandwiched between Washington Capitals goals en route to a 4-2 win. For the Caps, they looked listless and lethargic in their home opener, which could make for a long season as they drop to 0-2. Nicklas Backstrom set up both Captials goals in the loss.
- In his 1,001st game, Vincent Lecavalier had a pair of first period assists to pace his Tampa Bay Lightning to a 4-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. The Canes outshot the Lightning 36-26 but Mathieu Garon won his first start of the season, spelling Anders Lindback who played and lost the previous day. Jordan Staal got his first point as a Hurricane in the loss.
- Third overall draft pick Alex Galchenyuk scored his first NHL goal in the Montreal Canadiens’ first win of the season, a 4-1 victory over the Florida Panthers. Andrei Markov had two power play goals, enough to quiet the chants for PK Subban, at least for one night.
- The Philadelphia Flyers are a very disappointing 0-3 after their 3-0 shutout loss to Martin Brodeur and the New Jersey Devils. It was a rough and tumble affair with more than 70 PIMs issued as the frustrated Flyers look for an answer to their tough start.
- Michael Ryder scored both Dallas Stars goals and Kari Lehtonen was 4 seconds away from the shutout as the Detroit Red Wings lost another contest, this time 2-1. The Wings sit in the bottom of the Central Division, looking up at even the Columbus Blue Jackets.
- Ryan Suter was -2 against his old club in the Minnesota Wild’s 3-1 loss to the Nashville Predators. Dany Heatley scored his third of the season in the losing effort while Nashville was led by Nick Spaling, who counted a goal and an assist. Chris Mason got the win in the Nashville net, making 29 saves.
- The Chicago Blackhawks improved to 3-0 after taking a 3-0 lead and holding on to defeat the St. Louis Blues 3-2. Chicago held the Blues’ impressive rookie Vladimir Tarasenko off the scoresheet for the first time in his career.
- Jonathan Quick gave up 3 third period goals as the defending Stanley Cup Champs fell 3-1 to the Colorado Avalanche to remain winless on the young season. Quick has surrendered 8 goals in 2 games, while the Kings haven’t provided much offensive support yet.
- The Edmonton Oilers got into penalty trouble early on, and the San Jose Sharks capitalized. The Sharks were 3-for-3 with the man advantage as part of a 6 goal first period outburst that chased Devan Dubnyk from the Edmonton net. Nail Yakupov and Justin Schultz each scored their first career goals in the loss for the Oilers.
Wednesday will be a relatively quiet night with only 4 games on tap. The vaunted Vancouver Canucks and New York Rangers will both be looking for thier first wins of the season when they play the Calgary Flames and Boston Bruins respectively. The Pittsburgh Penguins will try to move to 3-0 when they play the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Phoenix Coyotes will try to stop the early bleeding when they host the Columbus Blue Jackets.