Last Night's Preseason Performers (Sep 21)

It was the annual preseason stop in Quebec City for the Montreal Canadiens, almost playing tease for those who are still longing for an NHL franchise.  On Thursday night, they brought along the champs from Washington for a tilt.

The Canadiens were able to put on a show for the fans, beating the Capitals, 5-2, thanks to good performances from both Brendan Gallagher and Philip Danault, who each came away with 2 points each.

On the road side, Alex Ovechkin made his preseason debut, scoring a goal and adding an assist as well.

A tight game in Detroit saw the Red Wings squeak out a 4-2 victory over former division rivals, the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday night.

It was a good showcase for Gustav Nyquist, who may have underachieved a little last season, scoring a goal and 2 assists, while rookie defenseman Libor Sulak chipped in with a couple of helpers in the victory.  It certainly wasn't a dominant performance by any one player, but the Red Wings are going to try and hang with some of the big boys this season.

Another tightly contested preseason game in Minnesota last night, when the Stars and Wild collided at the Xcel Energy Center.  It was a 1-1 game, late into the 3rd period before the Stars were able to break the tie and add an empty-netter for a 3-1 win.  Erik Condra was the only player of note in this one, picking up a pair of assists for the winning side.  The Stars did see some positives in the tight win, something that they can certainly build on for the coming season.

The Edmonton Oilers shot out the lights at home against the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday night, taking the game 7-3, in convincing fashion.  There were a couple of really big nights on the books, as Ty Rattie continued to show off his stuff, scoring a pair of goals and adding a trio of assists for a 5-point night, while Connor McDavid had a goal and 4 points as well.  Ryan Nugent-Hopkins chipped in with a couple of goals and Cam Talbot got the net for the whole game, making 20 saves for the win.

The Jets may have only scored three, but Andrew Copp and Joe Morrow each finished with 2 points a piece.

The Sharks invaded the Duck pond and put up a 7-spot of their own in preseason action on Thursday, beating the Ducks 7-3 on their own turf.  Neither side dressed too much power in this one, but the Sharks B team certainly got the job done.  Antti Suomela, Joonas Donskoi and Rourke Chartier each finished with 3 points, in descending order of goals scored, Suomela having a pair.  Rookie forward Lukas Radil also chipped in with a goal and an assist, while Aaron Dell got the crease for the whole game, making 23 saves for the win.

Two roster players for the Ducks each picked up notable mentions, as Ondrej Kase scored a pair of goals and Adam Henrique had a pair of assists.

The Vancouver Canucks earned their first preseason win with a 4-3 shootout victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday night and they relied heavily on the roster players that were in the lineup for this one.  Bo Horvat had a pair of goals and an assist to lead the way, while Sven Baertschi and rookie Elias Pettersson had 2 points each as well.  Jacob Markstrom got the reins for the full game, making 29 saves in the extra time win.

The Los Angeles Kings were in a split squad situation, but they did have one player find the notable list, rookie defenseman Kyle Clague had 2 assists in the loss.

It may still only be the preseason, but I think we were saying the same thing at the same time last year, when the Golden Knights were playing out of their skin and look where it got them last season.  Thursday, they were the third team to drop a 7-spot on their opponents, beating the other half of the Kings split squad, 7-2.  The Golden Knights showed no mercy, led by both Jonathan Marchessault and Reilly Smith, each picking up 4 points, William Karlsson wasn't far behind at 3 points, while Keegan Kolesar and Nicolas Hague each had 2 points.  Oscar Dansk got the whole game and only needed to make 17 saves for the win.

This team continues to stun many and it could very well be a good time to get on their bandwagon, at the beginning of the season, possibly while they are still cheaper picks in the hockey pool.