There were 5 games in the NHL on Monday night. Here is a quick tour around the league:
February 4, 2013; Toronto, ON, Canada; Carolina Hurricanes forward Jordan Staal (11) tries a wrap around as Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman John-Michael Liles (24) defends during the third period at the Air Canada Centre. Carolina defeated Toronto 4-1. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
- Jordan Staal and Eric Staal each scored a goal in the Carolina Hurricanes’ 4-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. For Jordan, it was his first goal of the season and first as a Cane. Both goaltenders were very busy as Cam Ward made 41 saves and James Reimer made 35 stops. Matt Frattin scored his team leading 5th goal in only his 6th game since being called up for the Leafs.
- Jamie Benn scored the opening and closing goals for the Dallas Stars as they gave up a 2-0 lead to the Colorado Avalanche. The Stars eventually hung on after Benn gave them the 3-2 lead late in the second period. Milan Hejduk scored for the Avalanche in his 1,000th game for the franchise.
- The Phoenix Coyotes hung on for a 2-1 win over the Minnesota Wild on goals from Lauri Korpikoski and Martin Hanzal and 21 saves from Mike Smith. Niklas Backstrom was busy in the Wild net, making 32 saves in the loss. Zach Parise had the lone Wild goal as they dropped to a disappointing 4-4-1 so far this season.
- The Edmonton Oilers led 2-0 up to the midway point of the game on goals from veterans Ales Hemsky and Ryan Smyth, but they could not hang on. Kevin Bieksa tied the game with less than 3 minutes left and then Chris Tanev‘s 1st NHL goal in overtime gave the Vancouver Canucks the 3-2 win. Roberto Luongo won his 4th straight game, stopping Taylor Hall on a penalty shot in overtime to allow Tanev to win the game.
- San Jose lost for the first time in regulation as Saku Koivu and Sheldon Souray netted third period goals for the Ducks to erase the 1-0 lead that Logan Couture had given the Sharks in the first period. Viktor Fasth appears poised to unseat Jonas Hiller in the Anaheim net, making 25 saves to move to 3-0-0 on the season.
It is a busy Tuesday night ahead, with 10 games on the schedule including the Buffalo Sabres visiting the Ottawa Senators, and the LA Kings looking to get out of a tailspin against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Check back tomorrow for the recap.