The Penguins took advantage of the many largesse of the poor Arizona Coyotes, Thursday in the season opener in Pittsburgh, winning easily 6-2.
The crowd favorites wasted no time, hitting the target three times in the opening 5:10 of the match. Sidney Crosby, Jason Zucker and Jake Guentzel, on the power play, all beat Karel Vejmelka.
See the highlights of this part, in the main video.
Evgeni Malkin, also with the advantage of a man, added his grain of salt in the second period, while Bryan Rust and Kasperi Kapanen for their part closed the march in the last period.
Crosby was still the most productive, with three points.
For their part, the visitors twice took advantage of the massive attack to ensure their response, each time through Nick Ritchie. Tristan Jarry, however, blocked the other 26 shots aimed at him to sign the victory.
The Senators bend the spine
In Buffalo, the Ottawa Senators tasted the medicine of the Sabers, who defeated them 4-1.
The score of this match is somewhat misleading, since Victor Olofsson twice shook the ropes in an empty net. Fans at KeyBank Center were instead treated to a veritable goalie duel between Craig Anderson and Anton Forsberg.
The 41-year-old veteran, the oldest active player in the National League, yielded to Brady Tkachuk in the first period before giving nothing more to the “Sens”. He finished with 35 saves, not flinching on the opponent’s four power plays.
Senators (1) c. Sabers (4) – October 13, 2022 –
On the other side, Forsberg was just as solid with 32 shots saved. Forward JJ Peterka netted his first career goal on his own, effectively combining with Dylan Cozens on a three-on-two comeback.
Rasmus Dahlin was the other goalscorer for the Sabers, helped in particular by new captain Kyle Okposo.
Two doubles in Pennsylvania
In Philadelphia, Travis Konecny and Morgan Frost both scored braces in the Flyers’ 5-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils.
Defenseman Tony DeAngelo made new friends with two wins, while Wade Allison completed the scoring. In net, Carter Hart was brilliant with 34 saves.
The young Alexander Holtz also opened his counter in the Bettman circuit by scoring on the power play for the Devils. The Swede was the seventh overall pick in the 2020 draft.