There were 8 games on Friday night, including a pair of Canadian clubs that got key players in their lineup for the first time this season. It was also a nigh where combacks were the order of the evening. Here is a quick tour around the league:
Feb 15, 2013; Vancouver, British Columbia, CANADA; Vancouver Canucks center Henrik Sedin (33) tries a wraparound attempt on Dallas Stars goaltender Richard Bachman (31) during the third period at Rogers Arena. The Dallas Stars won 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports
- The Buffalo scored three times in the third period to beat Boston 4-2. Tyler Myers, Christian Ehrhoff and Cody Hodgson rallied the Sabres, who opened the scoring with Drew Stafford but then fell behind 2-1 before the third period outburst. Dougie Hamilton scored his first NHL goal for the Bruins, while also adding an assist on Rich Peverley‘s go-ahead goal.
- The New Jersey Devils fell behind 3-1 in the first period, but lit up the Flyers for 2 goals in each of the second and third to down Philadelphia 5-3. David Clarkson scored his 10th of the season, and it was the winner midway through the third. Ilya Bryzgalov allowed 4 goals on only 18 shots in the loss.
- The Penguins avenged their earlier loss in Winnipeg when James Neal‘s 11th of the season was the winner. Craig Adams had the other two Penguins goals, the second one going in the empty net to seal the win. Andrew Ladd got the Jets goal. It was a good news, bad news scenario for Winnipeg, as they got Zach Bogosian back for the first time this season, but then during the game Tobias Enstrom left with an upper body injury that looked fairly serious.
- The Ducks overcame a 2-1 first period deficit to score 4 unanswered goals and beat the Red Wings 5-2. Andrew Cogliano scored twice for the Ducks, while Corey Perry got only his 2nd goal of the season for the game winner. Bobby Ryan and Matt Beleskey also scored for Anaheim. Joakim Andersson scored his first NHL goal to open the scoring for the Wings, who also got a goal from Tomas Tatar. Viktor Fasth improved to 7-0, making 26 saves for the win.
- The Blackhawks scored a 4-1 win over the Sharks, to remain the only team without a regulation loss. Ray Emery made 28 saves filling in for the injured Corey Crawford, allowing only Tim Kennedy to beat him. Dave Bolland, Marcus Kruger, Andrew Shaw and Niklas Hjalmarsson scored for Chicago, in a game that featured a rare captain vs captain fight between Jonathan Toews and Joe Thornton.
- David Perron scored the insurance marker late in the first, and capped the game with an empty netter as St. Louis scored 4 first period goals against the Flames to win it 5-2. Leland Irving allowed 2 goals on 4 shots in the first 4:07, being replaced by Joey MacDonald. Alex Steen had a goal and two assists while Jaden Schwartz added a goal and an assist. Jake Allen won his second straight start as Brian Elliott was stapled to the bench for poor play.
- Ryan Kesler had an assist in his first game of the season, and Henrik Sedin had two helpers to become the Canucks’ all-time leading scorer, but the Canucks still lost to the Stars 4-3. The Stars scored 3 straight after Vancouver had taken a 3-1 second period lead to spoil Sedin’s night. Reilly Smith scored his first NHL goal to open the scoring for the Stars, who got goals from Cody Eakin, Antoine Roussel and Brenden Dillon in the rally. Daniel Sedin, Chris Higgins and Alexandre Burrows scored in the first half of the second period to take a 3-1 lead, but Cory Schneider couldn’t hold the lead. The game featured 3 fights on 3 consecutive faceoffs, a series that seemed to swing momentum of the game as the Stars’ rally began shortly after the third fight.
- In a game that featured the two lowest scoring teams in the league, the Kings defeated the Blue Jackets 2-1. The teams combined for only 35 shots on goal, and Jonathan Bernier needed to make only 12 saves to get the win for LA. Kyle Clifford and Mike Richards scored for the Kings, while Nick Foligno made it an interesting final three minutes with his late goal to bring Columbus within one.
It is a pretty light Saturday, with only 7 games around the league. The focus will be on Toronto, where the Maple Leafs will host a depleted Senators club that will hopefully not be distracted by off-ice occurrences, including public rants from their owner.