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The defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers opened their season with a 3-2 win over Chicago on a third-period goal by Jesper Boqvist.
The Avalanche lead the Kings 2-0 in the second period, after the Penguins shut out the Rangers 3-0 behind two goals from Justin Brazeau. Follow live as The Athletic’s NHL writers cover all the action.
Schedule:
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It’s such a joy watching Nathan MacKinnon wind up through the neutral zone. I loved how Colorado used Artturi Lehkonen as an anchor in the middle of the neutral zone, before handing off to MacKinnon to the wing who already had a full head of steam. Smart work by Martin Necas to find the quiet ice in the slot, and an even better finish after MacKinnon’s lovely setup.
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Quite the shot there from Martin Necas, going top bins to beat Darcy Kuemper.
P2 19:12 – Avalanche 1, Kings 0
Martin Necas breaks the ice in the nightcap. Nathan MacKinnon has a burst of speed through the neutral zone, skating behind the net to find Martin Necas, who beats Darcy Kuemper with a blazing shot.
A terrific sequence showcasing the Avalanche's high-octane offense.
P2 20:00 – Avalanche 0, Kings 0
The second period is underway from L.A. No score in this one!
Los Angeles is playing a physical brand of hockey out there tonight, accumulating 17 hits in the first period alone.
The Kings had 16 giveaways in the first period tonight compared to just 9 by the Avalanche.
That's another statistical battle to monitor …
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As you might expect, the Penguins were delighted by their performance. The Rangers really didn't come close to generating offense all night. Arturs Silvos produced his first career NHL shutout. Justin Brazeau scored twice. Evgeni Malkin was dominant. So was Erik Karlsson. All in all, it was a tremendous performance from the Penguins and Dan Muse has this team playing defense, something that has been a rarity in recent seasons.
Below are some reader thoughts from the first period:
Watch the massive Josh Manson hit and the ensuing fight that occurred to end the first period.
Shots:
Hits:
Faceoffs won:
Total penalties:
Blocked shots:
Giveaways:
P1 0:00 – Avalanche 0, Kings 0
Through one period, there's no score between the Colorado Avalanche and Los Angeles Kings. Some decent scoring chances as both teams eased into the game.
But the Josh Manson hit certainly injected some intensity into this matchup.
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Well, that will certainly raise the temperature in this Kings/Avs game. Monster hit by Josh Manson on Warren Foegele. Jeff Malott, whose brother is a UFC fighter, drops the gloves with Manson in a fiery scrap. Malott was pointing fingers and jawing with multiple Avs players after the fight, too.
P1 1:38 – Avalanche 0, Kings 0
Josh Manson absolutely drills Warren Foegele in the neutral zone. A clean hit.
Then, Jeff Malott goes after Manson with a fight.
The crowd is buzzing now in L.A. Incredible atmosphere as there's still no score.
P1 6:15 – Avalanche 0, Kings 0
Gavin Brandley has a burst of speed in the attacking zone along the nearside boards. But his wrist shot goes left of Darcy Kuemper, wide of the target.
Still no score in L.A. Colorado is now leading in shots, after being grossly outshot to start the game.
Welcome back Gabriel Landeskog …
Those LA Kings uniforms (and helmets) are 🔥🔥🔥 …
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There’s understandably been a lot of talk about the Kings’ older, slower backend. But boy, if their forwards can keep hounding opponents, winning wall battles, and causing problems with their vertical up ice pressure, it’s going to make the job of L.A’s defensemen so much easier.
P1 12:28 – Avalanche 0, Kings 0
No score at the first TV timeout. Valeri Nichushkin fires a wrist shot on target to Darcy Kuemper, who gobbles up the puck.
Who will get the first goal?
Quinton Byfield already looks ready to build on last year’s dominant second-half. He did a terrific job to win the puck back in the attacking zone and flashed lightning-quick hands to drive to the inside for the first Grade-A chance of the game.