Ice Breaker: Shesterkin helped off, Kraken pile six on Detroit
The Rangers lose their goalie and a four-game streak in Washington, Seattle scores four in the second, and Anaheim keeps rolling.
The worst sight of Friday night came in Washington, where Igor Shesterkin had to be helped off the ice midway through the second period of a tied game. The Rangers lost the game 3-1 and their four-game win streak with it, and that's the smaller problem this morning.
Out west, the Ducks keep scoring at a rate that should worry the Pacific Division. By our count, Beckett Sennecke, Mikael Granlund and Jackson LaCombe each have a point in all four Anaheim games.
Capitals 3, Rangers 1
Alexis Lafrenière opened it on a first-period power play. Shesterkin had stopped 13 of 14 when he came out to challenge a shooter, jammed his right skate into the post scrambling back and couldn't put weight on the leg.
Timothy Liljegren tied it, Boone Jenner beat Dylan Garand late in the second, and Tom Wilson hit the empty net. Logan Thompson stopped 21 of 22.
"It's concerning, obviously," Mike Sullivan said.
Lind's read: With Joonas Korpisalo already on injured reserve, Garand is the next man up for an organization that built its season around one goaltender. Shesterkin was 3-1 with a 1.76 goals-against average, so New York's whole defensive plan just got a lot less forgiving.
Seattle scored four times in less than 10 minutes of the second period. Frederick Gaudreau scored twice, Ben Meyers had a goal and two assists, and Berkly Catton had a goal and a helper. John Gibson was pulled after 10 saves on 15 shots, and Philipp Grubauer made 37 saves at the other end.
Sully's chirp: Detroit outshot Seattle 40-24 and lost by three. That's the guy who brings the whole toolbox and still can't hang a picture.
Blue Jackets 3, Penguins 2 (SO)
Damon Severson scored and set up Mathieu Olivier for a 2-0 lead. Bryan Rust and Evgeni Malkin, with Erik Karlsson on the assist, pulled Pittsburgh even. Kent Johnson scored the only goal of the shootout after a scoreless overtime.
Lind's read: Columbus outshot Pittsburgh 45-22 and still needed a skills contest. Sergei Murashov stopped 43, and a goalie doing that on the road is how a team steals points in October.
Ducks 5, Jets 1
Judd Caulfield and Tim Washe built a 2-0 lead, Sam Colangelo made it 3-0, and Granlund and Nikita Nesterenko finished it. Kyle Connor broke up Lukas Dostal's shutout bid. Travis Mitchell and Adam Lowry fought at the end of the first.
Sully's chirp: Winnipeg put 16 shots on net in its own building. I've seen more rubber fly at a Squirts practice when the coach is on his phone.
Three stars of the night
- Philipp Grubauer, SEA: 37 saves on 40 shots.
- Ben Meyers, SEA: a goal and two assists.
- Sergei Murashov, PIT: 43 saves on 45 shots in a shootout loss.
Lind's number of the night
29.4%. That's Anaheim's shooting percentage on Friday, five goals on 17 shots. It won't hold forever, but the Ducks' power play is converting at 35.7% by our count, so this offense isn't living on puck luck alone.
Sully's take of the morning
The Ducks are a playoff team, book it, and I don't want to hear about the schedule. Sennecke has six points in four games, Granlund has five, and I'm already looking at playoff tickets in Orange County.
Mitchell got five for fighting and two more for unsportsmanlike conduct, which means he either won or told Lowry about it. Grade: A. I said what I said.
Kessler's corner
Michigan beat Alaska Anchorage 10-1, and Wisconsin shut out Minnesota State 4-0 on the road. The Badgers' win is the one that'll move a poll.
Pabs' Florida line
The Everblades lost 2-1 in overtime to Orlando at Hertz Arena after Jack Horbach's goal held up until the third. A one-goal Florida derby in October is fine. Just win the next one.
Meg's line
Ohio State beat Wisconsin 2-1 in Columbus. Two of the sport's most consistent programs played a one-goal game in early October, and it had the tension of a conference final.
Tonight
Fourteen games are on Saturday's slate, and the Panthers host Minnesota at 6 PM ET on Scripps. Florida's power play is at 4.3% by our count, against a Wild penalty kill at 91.7%. Minnesota's power play is running at 38.5%. Something has to give, and the Panthers need it to be the visitors' penalty kill.
DraftKings and Hard Rock both have Florida at -135. 21+. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.
The one to watch is Toronto at Colorado at 7 PM ET. The Avalanche are plus-12 through four games by our count, and the Leafs are coming off a blown 3-0 lead in Vegas. Tampa Bay visits the Islanders at 7:30 PM ET, and Anaheim gets Calgary at 10 PM ET.
