Ice Breaker: Kucherov asks out, then Stamkos gets the last word
Stamkos ties it late and wins the shootout against his old team, Makar sets up four, and McDavid makes it 14 for 14.
Nikita Kucherov's first game since asking out of Tampa looked like every other Kucherov game: three assists and a lead somebody else couldn't hold. Then Steven Stamkos, the old captain, tied it on the power play late in the third and won it in the shootout. Nobody had to write that script.
Elsewhere, Connor McDavid kept his perfect start going and Cale Makar set up four.
Tampa led three times and never kept it. Kucherov set up goals by John Carlson, Jake Guentzel and Victor Hedman, and Conor Geekie made it 4-3 early in the third. Stamkos tied it on the power play at 7:27 of the third and finished it in the shootout.
Lind's read: Kucherov has 18 points in 13 games, per NHL data, so the request hasn't touched his production. What it might touch is a team that's now blown three leads in one night.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored twice, one on the power play, and Tristan Jarry needed only 18 saves for the shutout. McDavid assisted on the power-play goal.
Sully's chirp: The Islanders took 33 penalty minutes and 18 shots on goal. That's not a game plan, that's a Halloween costume.
Avalanche 5, Flames 2
Makar had four assists and Artturi Lehkonen scored twice. Colorado led 4-0 in the second, Calgary got within two, and Lehkonen closed it. Mackenzie Blackwood made 25 saves.
Lind's read: Lehkonen has a point in nine straight games, by our count, and 12 goals in 14. When the guy who isn't MacKinnon or Necas scores like a first-liner, Colorado's depth chart stops mattering.
Bruins 5, Blackhawks 4 (OT)
Chicago led 4-2 midway through the third after goals by Ryan Greene and Connor Bedard. Mason Lohrei answered 46 seconds after Bedard, Morgan Geekie tied it with 12 seconds left and Elias Lindholm won it 2:32 into overtime. Michael DiPietro made 37 saves, and Anton Frondell scored twice for Chicago.
Sully's chirp: I've watched the Bruins blow 4-2 leads my whole life. Nice to finally see what it looks like from the other bench.
Blues 5, Red Wings 4
St. Louis had 15 shots and scored on five of them. Detroit led 4-2 after Emmitt Finnie's power-play goal early in the third. Then Pavel Buchnevich, Justin Barron and Aleksanteri Kaskimaki scored in a 4:38 span. John Gibson finished with 10 saves.
Lind's read: Detroit outshot St. Louis 28-15 and outhit them 30-21. Shot share doesn't lose a game, but a .667 save percentage will.
Canadiens 5, Penguins 4
Josh Anderson scored twice and set up Chris Kreider. Montreal scored twice in 24 seconds in the first period and twice in 27 seconds in the second. Sidney Crosby and Erik Karlsson each had a goal and two assists in the loss.
Sully's chirp: Crosby and Karlsson put up six points and still lost. I don't enjoy saying nice things about the Canadiens, so I'll just say Pittsburgh's defense was on a smoke break.
Sabres 3, Kings 2
Tage Thompson scored twice on eight shots, including the power-play winner with 6:20 left. Jack Quinn had a goal and an assist, and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 27 saves.
Lind's read: Buffalo blocked 30 shots and went 2-for-3 on the power play. That's how a road team wins while taking only 36 percent of the faceoffs.
Maple Leafs 4, Canucks 2
William Nylander had a goal and an assist, Auston Matthews and Zack MacEwen scored, and Teddy Blueger hit the empty net. Anthony Stolarz made 26 saves.
Sully's chirp: The Leafs won a road game on Halloween. I assume the parade committee is already meeting.
Senators 5, Sharks 1
Tim Stützle and Dylan Cozens each had a goal and an assist, Ridly Greig scored shorthanded and Samuel Ersson made 22 saves. Drake Batherson scored too.
Lind's read: Batherson's goal makes it seven straight games with a point, by our count.
Stars 3, Blue Jackets 1
Mikko Rantanen scored on the power play, Thomas Harley scored with a second left in the first and Arttu Hyry hit the empty net. Jake Oettinger stopped 24 of 25.
Sully's chirp: Columbus outhit Dallas 33-10 and lost. You can't run over a scoreboard, kid.
Three stars of the night
- Cale Makar, COL — four assists in a 5-2 win, his fingerprints on four of five goals.
- Tristan Jarry, EDM — 18 saves for the shutout on Long Island.
- Josh Anderson, MTL — two goals and an assist in a game Montreal needed every one.
Lind's number of the night: 37
That's McDavid's point total through 14 games, and by our count he has a point in all 14. He goes for 15 straight tonight at Madison Square Garden on the back half of a back-to-back.
Sully's take of the morning
Yesterday I said Detroit won the breakup. Last night they found out the ex still has a key. Up two in the third, outshooting the Blues almost two to one, and they lost on three goals in under five minutes. That's a team treating a two-goal lead like a nap. Grade: D. Buddy, I'm begging you, play the last 20 minutes.
Gord's whisper
The Kucherov request grades as Reported: Friedman had it first, and Julien BriseBois is on the record saying Tampa has "unequivocally" no intention of moving him. Gord has the full read.
Kessler's corner
BU finished the weekend with a 3-2 overtime win over Maine a night after the Friday rout. Wisconsin hung nine on Notre Dame, and Michigan State won 5-3 at North Dakota.
Pabs' Florida line
Cam Johnson stopped all 21 shots in Greenville and the Everblades won 2-0, outshooting the Swamp Rabbits 39-21. Box score.
Tonight
Clocks went back overnight, so these are standard-time starts. Carolina (11-2-2) hosts Winnipeg (4-7-3) at 1 PM ET on NHL Network. Minnesota visits Washington at 3:30 and Utah is at Philadelphia at 4.
The one to watch is Edmonton at the Rangers at 6 on NHL Network, with McDavid chasing 15 straight on tired legs. Ottawa, also on a back-to-back, closes the night at Anaheim at 8 on Prime Video.
The Panthers are off until Monday in Detroit at 7 PM ET; Pabs has what changed on the power play.
