Last Night's Preseason Performers (Sep 24)

Jhonas Enroth was given the reins in the Buffalo net against the Hurricanes and he didn't disappoint, making 35 saves in a 2-0 shutout win.  The Sabres were also benefiting from a big night from the team's top line of the night, featuring Drew Stafford, Tyler Ennis and Matt Moulson, each coming away with 2 points.

All four Sabres players mentioned should be taken at some point in the draft this year.  It will be interesting to see who will get the number one job in the crease, as Enroth made a pretty good bid.

Another game, another home team shutout, but in the case of the Columbus Blue Jackets, the goaltending duties were split, so no individual mentions allowed.

The Jackets did come away with a 2-0 win as well and forward Cam Atkinson and Michael Chaput each had a goal and an assist in the win.

After a solid 2014 season, Atkinson may have some interest in the draft this year, possibly earlier than the 10th round, like he was last year.

The Montreal Canadiens continued their post-season success on the Boston Bruins in this year's preseason, as they came back from an early 2-0 deficit to win 3-2.

Pro tryout Drayson Bowman and prospect defenseman Magnus Nygren each had a couple of points, Bowman scoring the winner with the less than a minute left in the game.

Bowman is in tough to win himself a contract with the big club, but Nygren is in the thick of a battle for the sixth and seventh defenseman spot, which has some openings on their projected roster.

A 3-goal 3rd period for the Maple Leafs vaulted their squad past a less-than-powerful Flyers team, 4-0 on Tuesday night.  The only player worth mentioning from this game is Greg McKegg, who had a pair of assists, including one on the winner, way back in the 1st period.

McKegg is most likely heading down to the AHL, once camp concludes.

The Tampa Bay Lightning let their kids run wild over the Nashville Predators on Tuesday night, as they came away with a 4-2.  Jonathan Marchessault, a 23-year old prospect, led the way with 2 goals and an assist for the Bolts, while Vladislav Namestnikov picked up a trio of helpers.  Nikita Kucherov also got in on the action with a goal and an assist.

In net, Andrei Vasilevskiy got the entire game, making 28 stops for the complete game win.

Kucherov is the only one of the four on the projected roster, which still has some roster spots open going into the regular season, so there could be some room for the two other prospects with points under their belts.  Unfortunately for Vasilevskiy, he'll be behind a pair of NHL goalies, which won't give him much room to advance.

In a Central Division battle, the Chicago Blackhawks played host to the Detroit Red Wings and it was a tight affair, by the look of the scoreline.  The Blackhawks came away with a 2-1 win in overtime and the shots were only 22-19 for the Red Wings.

Norris Trophy candidate Duncan Keith was the only notable player in the game, picking up a pair of assists for the winning side.

The Arizona Coyotes and Anaheim Ducks let their kids go head-to-head, with the minimum amount of veterans in their line-up and the Coyotes didn't help John Gibson's argument in the Anaheim net, putting four past him in a 4-0 win on Tuesday night.

Coyotes prospect forward Justin Hodgman had another good preseason game, getting another mention on the blog, scoring a pair of goals in the game.  Hodgman now has 3 goals and an assist in two games in the preseason.  David Moss also got on the board with a goal and an assist in the win.

Finally, the Vancouver Canucks and San Jose Sharks had some split squad action on Tuesday, including a game in Vancouver and another in Stockton, CA.  The two teams split their games, winning their home games on each side of the border, 4-2 Canucks and 5-2 Sharks, in their respective locations.

In Vancouver, off-season acquisition Linden Vey had a good night, scoring a goal and adding a couple of helpers for a 3-point night.  2013 1st round pick Hunter Shinkaruk also had a goal and an assist in the win.

Patrick Marleau had a good night for the Sharks in Vancouver, scoring a goal and an assist in the loss.

In Stockton, home to the Sharks ECHL affiliate, it was all Sharks, led by veterans Joe Thornton (2 goals) and Joe Pavelski (goal & assist), while they were joined by Nikolai Goldobin and Barclay Goodrow, who each had a goal and an assist as well.