Last Night's Preseason Performers (Sep 22)

It was an alternate site game for the Islanders and the Flyers on Friday night, playing in Allentown, PA at the PPL Center, but the visiting team was the better of the two, as the Islanders took the game, 3-2 in overtime.  Robin Lehner made 25 saves in the overtime victory, getting his first full game of action in and defenseman Adam Pelech was also on the board with a couple of assists in the victory as well.

Flyers defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere scored a goal in this game, but also left the game with an undisclosed injury.  The team said afterwards, that they were going to pull him with just the slightest of injuries, erring on the side of caution.  His injury is undisclosed and will probably be reevaluated on Saturday.

The Carolina Hurricanes continued to play well in this preseason, getting the best of the Washington Capitals on Friday night, 5-1.  The Canes dressed a fairly solid side to welcome in the champs, who were still playing a few more of the bubble players in this preseason game.  When the dust settled, defenseman Jaccob Slavin led the way for Carolina, scoring a goal and adding a couple of assists, while Valentin Zykov and Jordan Staal each had a goal and an assist and then Warren Foegele had a couple of assists.

There wasn't a great deal of solid veteran talent in the lineup for the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday night in Ottawa, but that didn't stop them from scoring three goals in the 3rd period to finish a comeback from an early 2-0 deficit to win, 5-2.

Veterans Marcus Kruger and Andreas Martinsen each had a goal and an assist, as did rookie hopefuls Dominik Kahun and Luke Johnson.  These four led the scoring parade, in what was a low-impact game in the end.

The Buffalo Sabres and Toronto Maple Leafs played a fairly entertaining game at the newly renamed Scotiabank Arena on Friday night and it got started off with a bang, four goals in the first four minutes of play, but then things started to settle down a bit, but the home side managed to worm their way through to a 5-3 win.

John Tavares continues to impress in his new blue and white threads, as he was the only notable player in this match-up, scoring a pair of goals, including an empty-netter to seal the deal in the 3rd period.  He will certainly be worth a 1st round selection next weekend, for sure.

Forward Zach Hyman left the game early with what was reported as a bone bruise, leaving in the 2nd period and not to return.  His status remains unclear for the remainder of the preseason.

The Lightning and Predators locked horns in Nashville on Friday night and it was a green looking Tampa team that outplayed the home side in this one, as the Bolts came away with a clear 5-1 victory.  Adam Erne scored a pair of goals, Andy Andreoff had a goal and an assist and Louis Domingue got the call for the entire 60 minutes, making 38 saves for the win.  All three players are projected to be on the Tampa roster, according to my notes, so it pays off big for them, when their depth players can come up big in games where they might not have all their firepower.

Chad Johnson and the St. Louis Blues played ungracious hosts to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday night, as the 32-year old veteran backstop made 20 saves and earned a preseason shutout in a 3-0 win.  Johnson, slated to be the number two guy for the season in St. Louis, was the only notable player in this game, but a good performance nonetheless, should give him some extra confidence, as the season nears.  With Jake Allen still on the shelf, Johnson could start the year as the de facto number one.

Finally, the Winnipeg Jets needed a comeback and overtime to defeat the visiting Calgary Flames on Friday night, with Dustin Byfuglien scoring a pair of goals, including the winner, to get the job done.  Blake Wheeler added a goal and an assist, while Connor Hellebuyck got the whole game for the Jets, making 32 saves for the win.

Rookie forward Glenn Gawdin finished the game with a couple of assists for the Flames, as he tries to hang on to a bubble spot on the roster, as we head into the second-to-last weekend of the preseason.