Saturday Night's Preseason Action (Sep 24)

The Pittsburgh Penguins brought out a good number of their big guns for their preseason game against the Minnesota Wild on Saturday night and they didn't disappoint. Evgeni Malkin continues to show that he is ready for the new season, scoring a goal and adding a pair of assists in the win, while rookie defenseman Joe Morrow had a goal and an assist and Kris Letang had a pair of assists.  There are plenty of prognosticators picking the Penguins to do well this year and I'm starting to buy into the hype now.

For the second straight night, the Buffalo Sabres beat the Toronto Maple Leafs, but it was a different cast of characters that led the way on Saturday night. Jhonas Enroth made 19 saves in the 3-2 win, while Luke Adam led all scorers on the team with a goal and an assist. There is plenty of hype surrounding the Buffalo Sabres this year as well and they look to be a good team to pick from again this year.

There was a small silver lining in the loss for the Maple Leafs, as Matt Frattin continues to have a pretty good preseason, notching a couple more assists in the game against Buffalo. Frattin has hit the scoresheet a few times in the preseason and he's earning the long look that he is getting.

Robin Lehner played a full game for the Senators, made 22 saves and recorded the win as Ottawa beat Montreal, 3-2 in preseason action. Lehner is likely going to play the full season in the AHL, but he's showing that he could be working his way into an NHL gig sooner, rather than later. Chris Neil scored a pair of goals in the win and Milan Michalek had a goal and an assist for the Sens, both trying to pump up their projections before the big date.

The Canadiens may have come out on the wrong end of the scoresheet on Saturday night, but there were three names that appeared on the sheet twice, so they are worth mentioning on the blog. Mike Cammalleri scored a pair of goals and assisting on both of them were Aaron Palushaj and Mark Mitera.  The Habs will be expecting a big year from Cammalleri, but it remains to be seen if we'll actually see one.

The Islanders laid a pretty good beating on the Devils on Saturday night, coming out on the right end of a 6-2 decision. It was a few of the team's bigger guns that hit the scoresheet a number of times, led by Matt Moulson, who had a pair of goals and added an assist. Adding a goal and two assists each were Frans Nielsen and Mark Streit, spreading the wealth around to a number of different players in the game.  The Islanders are going to try and turn a corner this year, there looks to be a number of good pool players to choose from in this paradigm shift.

The Tampa Bay Lightning scored three times in the 3rd period to come back from a 1-goal deficit to beat the Florida Panthers on Saturday night. Mattias Ritola led the way for the Bolts, scoring a goal and adding 2 assists, likely working his way into a bottom six job with the team for the upcoming season. Steve Downie had a pair of assists in the win as well, while Mathieu Garon made 24 saves for the complete game win.  The Lightning only had one of their big guns out and it looked to be a good trial for some of their younger players.

On the losing side, there were a few Panthers that up some points, worthy of a mention. David Booth and Tomas Kopecky each had a goal and an assist in the loss, while Tim Kennedy had a pair of assists. I still think the Panthers may still be playing with a mediocre cast of characters this year, but some of their regular talent should be draftable.

The St. Louis Blues lost their preseason tilt to the Dallas Stars on Saturday night, 3-2, and in on both of their goals was Andy McDonald, who scored one and assisted on the other. McDonald should be a solid mid-round draft pick again this year, especially with a solid group of both youngsters and veterans. He'll quietly go about his business on the ice, making an impact where he can.

The Edmonton Oilers took a preseason Battle of Alberta game away from the Calgary Flames, squeaking a 2-1 victory out at home.  The only player of note was Nikolai Khabibulin, who made 16 saves in the victory.  Khabibulin is trying to regain his form as the team's number one goalie, a position that needs to be addressed by the Oilers.  If Khabibulin can get 60 to 65 games this season, the Oilers might be in good shape in the crease.

The Predators played host to the visiting Jets on Saturday night and treated them to some Southern hospitality.  Nashville came away with a 4-3 win, led by defensemen Shea Weber and Ryan Suter, who each posted a couple of assists each.  The two pillars of strength for the Predators will likely have to continue posting some good offensive numbers this season, if the team wants to make it back into the playoffs this season, since a lot of the teams below them in the standings from last season have improved.

The Ducks travelled to Vancouver for a match against the Canucks on Saturday night and they came away winners, taking a 4-1 decision from the home team. Cam Fowler had a goal and an assist and Francois Beauchemin chimed in with a couple of assists, leading the charge from the blueline. The Ducks defenders will be a good group to choose from this year and you might have to get on them earlier than expected, if you want to take advantage of some good offense back there.

Finally, prospect goaltender Harri Sateri made 28 saves to record a preseason shutout against the Phoenix Coyotes on Saturday night, vying to be the opening night back-up to either Antti Niemi or Thomas Greiss, if the situation deems it true.  The Sharks beat the Coyotes 1-0 and Sateri was the star of the game, making the decision, going forward, a little more difficult for the coaching staff, come demotion time.