Thrashers 7, Blackhawks 2
Thrashers 7, Blackhawks 2
ATLANTA -- Ilya Kovalchuk scored a hat trick and the Atlanta Thrashers stretched their unbeaten streak to a franchise-record five games, routing the Chicago Blackhawks 7-2 Saturday night. The Thrashers have won three games and tied two others to begin a season that was overshadowed by tragedy. Less than two weeks ago, center Dan Snyder died from injuries sustained in a high-speed car wreck. All-Star teammate Dany Heatley, who was driving, tore up a knee and faces felony criminal charges. Having dedicated the season to both players, the Thrashers are playing the most inspired hockey of their five-year existence. They built a 3-0 lead before the game was 11 minutes old and knocked out Blackhawks goalie Jocelyn Thibault in the second period.
Maple Leafs 1, Canadiens 0
MONTREAL -- Ed Belfour earned his 66th career shutout and Ric Jackman scored a power-play goal in the first period. Belfour, who allowed a tying goal with two seconds left in regulation against New Jersey on Thursday, stopped 15 shots -- including back-to-back saves off shots by Michael Ryder and Andreas Dackell midway through the third -- as Toronto got its first win of the season. Belfour tied Patrick Roy for 11th place on the career shutout list and leads all active goalies.
Lightning 3, Devils 2
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Martin St. Louis took advantage of a late New Jersey turnover and scored with 5:40 to play keep Tampa Bay undefeated. Vincent Lecavalier and Martin Cibak also scored and Nikolai Khabibulin made 29 saves as the Lightning won their third straight and sent the Stanley Cup champions (1-1-2) to their first loss of the season. Patrik Elias and rookie Paul Martin scored for New Jersey in the first game between the teams since last year's Eastern Conference semifinals which the Devils won in five games.
Blues 4, Capitals 1
ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Blues revived a struggling power play without injured captain Al MacInnis, scoring three times with the man advantage in their home opener. Keith Tkachuk and Pavol Demitra each had a goal and an assist and Doug Weight had three assists for the Blues. St. Louis had been 3-for-17 on the power play in its first three games, but scored on three of its first five opportunities against the Capitals and was 3-for-8 overall. MacInnis, the team captain, could miss the entire season after undergoing surgery for a torn retina in his left eye on Friday.
Hurricanes 2, Rangers 2
NEW YORK -- Erik Cole and Craig Adams each had a goal and an assist as Carolina and New York each played to a second consecutive tie. The Hurricanes had more than a minute of power-play time in overtime, but New York had a chance late in the extra period when Bobby Holik's shot was gloved by Carolina goaltender Kevin Weekes, touching off a tussle between New York's Jamie Lundmark and Carolina's Danny Markov. Neither team managed another shot after that. The Rangers had two power-play chances at the end of regulation. Eric Lindros and Mark Messier scored for the Rangers.
Islanders 2, Panthers 1
UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- Oleg Kvasha's power-play goal 4:10 into the third period gave New York a win in its home opener. Mariusz Czerkawski added a goal and assist for the Islanders, who won for the first time at home since March 1. Rick DiPietro turned aside 20 shots for his second victory. Viktor Kozlov scored Florida's goal and Luongo had 44 saves, but the Panthers lost their second straight.
Wild 2, Canucks 2, OT
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Henrik Sedin slammed in a loose rebound on a power play with 2:22 left in regulation as Vancouver and Minnesota renewed their fierce rivalry from last season's playoffs. Jim Dowd and Matt Johnson scored for Minnesota, which led 2-1 until Sergei Zholtok was called for slashing late in the third period. Sedin scored Vancouver's third power-play goal this year in 28 chances. Antti Laaksonen had a first-period penalty shot clank off the right post for the Wild, who managed only eight shots on Canucks goalie Johan Hedberg after the second period.
-- Associated Press