This post first appeared on Penn State University’s CommRadio website on October 8.
After a long summer, the NHL returned to action on Tuesday night. Fans were treated to three action-packed games that were worth the wait.
Panthers Fight Back, Topple Blackhawks
The reigning champion Florida Panthers defended their home ice with a 3-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks.
The first goal of the season came just after the halfway point in the first period, when Blackhawks center Frank Nazar scored on a breakaway, beating Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky on his glove side to give his team the 1-0 lead.
Nazar’s goal was swiftly responded to by the Panthers, as A.J. Greer would find the back of the net just over a minute after the opening score. Later in the period, Carter Verhaeghe took advantage of an overwhelmed Spencer Knight and tucked one away on the power play to put the Panthers up 2-1.
A fantastic play on the boards from Tyler Bertuzzi resulted in a Teuvo Teravainen goal to even the score at 2-2.
With just over ten minutes remaining in the third period, the Panthers would find the game’s winning goal when Jesper Boqvist batted the puck out of the air, which trickled past Knight and into the back of the net.
Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky had a relatively poor night by his standards. The veteran netminder made 17 saves, good for a save percentage of just .895. Despite the defeat, Knight was strong in goal for the Blackhawks, making 34 saves for a .919 save percentage.
After raising a banner commemorating last year’s Stanley Cup win, the Panthers let the league know they’re ready to push for the three-peat.
Silovs Shuts Out Rangers, Spoils Sullivan’s Debut
It was a night of new beginnings for the Pittsburgh Penguins, as they rode a strong performance from newcomer goalie Arturs Silovs to defeat the New York Rangers 3-0.
This offseason saw the Penguins and Rangers swap coaches, with Mike Sullivan taking the Rangers job after a ten-season stretch with his former club. Rangers assistant Dan Muse would be named the 23rd head coach in Penguins history about a month later.
Penguins forward Justin Brazeau got the scoring started on the backhand at the 19:28 mark to record his first Penguins goal. Two empty-net scores, including a second for Brazeau, made what was a hotly contested game of hockey appear much more lopsided than it really was.
Penguins goaltender Arturs Silovs became only the second Penguins to win his team debut by way of a shutout. The Latvian netminder made 25 saves on the way to his first career regular-season shutout.
For the Rangers, there wasn’t much to write home about. While goaltender Igor Shesterkin was outstanding in net, making 27 saves and posting a .964 save percentage, the Rangers were unable to support him offensively.
As a new chapter begins in Pittsburgh, Tuesday night’s performance will have fans hopeful that the Penguins can bring another Stanley Cup to the Steel City.
Avalanche Offense Overwhelms the Kings
The final matchup of the NHL’s opening-night tripleheader saw the Colorado Avalanche defeat the Los Angeles Kings 4-1.
Avalanche forward Gabriel Landeskog returned to the ice, playing in his first regular-season game since 2022. The evening also marked Kings forward Anže Kopitar’s final season opener, as the 38-year-old Slovenian plans to retire at the end of the season.
A mostly tame opening period culminated with a huge hit by Avalanche defenseman Josh Manson, who leveled Kings forward Warren Foegle close to the boards.
Jeff Malott came to his teammate’s defense, jumping over the bench and dropping the gloves with Manson. Malott was given a minor penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct on top of the usual fighting penalty, but time would expire with the score stuck at 0-0 after the first period.
A huge second period for the Avalanche would begin with Nathan McKinnon wrapping around the net, finding a wide-open Martin Necas who snapped the puck past Kings goalie Darcy Kuemper to put the Avs in front.
The Avalanche found their second goal of the second period when Sam Malinski intercepted Joel Armia’s attempt to dump the puck down the ice and took advantage of a goaltender screen to beat Kuemper for a long-range goal.
A third was added after the rebound of a Cale Makar shot was put back into the wide-open net by Artturi Lehkonen.
Necas found his second of the night near the midway point of the third period, as he cut towards the crease and fired the puck into the top left corner of the net.
The power play goal put the Avalanche up 4-0, but the shutout would be spoiled when Kevin Fiala scored a one-timer on the Kings’ five-on-three power play. The game would end with the Avalanche winning 4-1.
Colorado’s offensive firepower was on full display, with four Avalanche players recording multi-point performances. For the Kings, it was a night to forget for Darcy Kuemper, who may have felt the pressure playing against the team he won a Stanley Cup with. His .826 save percentage was the worst by any of the six goaltenders to start on opening night.
The Avalanche are one of the favorites to hoist the Stanley Cup in June, and their opening performance will do well to cement themselves as a top contender to do so.
Stars of the Night
Third Star: Jesper Boqvist, Florida Panthers
Boqvist’s goal for the Panthers ended up being the game-winner. It capped what was a strong overall performance for the Swedish center.
Second Star: Martin Necas, Colorado Avalanche
The Avalanche performance was driven by Necas’ two goals, as the Czech center beat Darcy Kuemper twice to account for half of his team’s scoring.
First Star: Arturs Silovs, Pittsburgh Penguins
It’s hard enough to record a shutout in the NHL, let alone in your debut with a new team. Silovs’ performance anchored the Penguins in a game that was 1-0 for most of the three periods.
Elliott Inscho is a first-year student majoring in digital and print journalism. To contact him, email eli5026@gmail.com
