Last Night's Preseason Performers (Oct 8 - Draft Day Edition)

A semi-neutral site game in Hamilton on Friday night, saw the Detroit Red Wings get the better of the Toronto Maple Leafs, 2-1. Detroit rookie Evgeny Svechnikov stole the show, scoring both goals for the Red Wings in the win.  The 19-year old 1st rounder from a year ago may not be able to find room on this year's roster, but he is sure making a good case for the future, with a 2-goal performance.  The Wings still have a lot of cuts to make and it seems like they don't mind taking their time.

Jimmy Howard was the goalie of record in this one, also important to note, no word on how many saves he made on the NHL site.  Both teams will conclude their preseason tonight.

The Carolina Hurricanes got the better of the Washington Capitals in preseason play, beating their Metropolitan Division rivals 3-2 in the shootout on Friday night.  Carolina defenseman Noah Hanifin had a goal and an assist in regulation in the win, while Cam Ward was the better of the two goalies, making 22 saves in open play and two key saves in the shootout for the victory.

On the Washington side, the defensive pairing of John Carlson and Dmitry Orlov led the way offensively with 2 points each, all midway in the 3rd period to force extra time.

The Sabres and Senators concluded their preseason in Ottawa on Friday night, with the visitors taking a 4-2 win in the end. Robin Lehner beat his former team, making 30 saves for the victory, looking to be on pace for a good start to the year.  On the scoresheet, Evander Kane and Sam Reinhart led the way with a goal and an assist in the win, trying to convince us that the Sabres will be a much better team this year.

Good news for the Senators, Mark Stone returned to the lineup, coming back from a minor concussion in this preseason.  Stone went through the protocol and came out the other side unphased, looking to be ready to go for the start of the year.

Arizona Coyotes goaltender Mike Smith was the only notable player in the preseason game against the San Jose Sharks on Friday night, as he made 29 saves in a 3-1 victory for the dogs.  Smith is expected to be the number one guy in Arizona this season, so they don't put too much pressure on Louis Domingue too early, but I'm sure the youngster will certainly get his looks during the year.

The Dallas Stars and Los Angeles Kings gave the fans in Las Vegas another taste of NHL hockey, of course they have been doing this for a few years, but this Frozen Fury game may have meant something more, with the team starting up next season. It was a neutral site game, so the details were sketchy, but Stars defenseman Patrik Nemeth led the way for Dallas, scoring a pair of goals in a 6-3 win.