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Commissioner Gary Bettman spoke with Kyle Beach on Saturday via a video call and Susan Loggins, a lawyer who is representing Beach in a lawsuit against the Chicago Blackhawks revealed that Bettman was more than sympathetic to the plight that Beach had to go through 11 years ago. Bettman offered the NHL’s help, which included psychological services. They also spoke about changing things so this would not happen again in the future.
The Blackhawks were fined $2 million by the NHL (hopefully that money can end up in the hands of Beach, a small price to pay by the NHL) and that the Blackhawks will settle quickly with Beach, so as to not make him go through the process again.
In other news, the Blackhawks have requested to remove Brad Aldrich’s name from the Stanley Cup and the Hockey Hall of Fame will quickly do so through a series of x’s.
There were five games on the Sunday slate.
CAROLINA 2 ARIZONA 1
The Carolina Hurricanes and the Arizona Coyotes are going in opposite directions and it continued on Sunday afternoon as the Hurricanes defeated the Coyotes 2-1.
Carolina is a perfect 8-0-0 while Arizona has only one point in nine games as they are 0-8-1.
But it was the Coyotes who took the first period lead as Christian Fischer dug out the puck from the side boards, came along the goal line and beat Frederik Andersen with a beautiful backhander to put Arizona ahead 1-0.
That’s the way the first period ended as Carolina outshot Arizona 13-8.
Martin Necas scored the only goal of the second period as he slapped the puck from the blueline, hitting Fischer and going past a bewildered Karel Vejmelka high into the cage.
The third period was dominated by Carolina as they outshot Arizona 12-3 after outshooting them 14-12 in the second.
But it took until the 17:33 mark of the third for the Hurricanes to score the go-ahead goal as defenseman Brett Pesce scored his first of the season, from the same spot as Necas in the offensive zone in the second. The power play goal was set up by Necas and Seth Jarvis who was playing in his first NHL game.
Andersen stopped 22 shots for the win as he is 7-0-0 with a microscopic 1.33 GAA and a .956 save percentage. He didn’t look like this in his last few seasons with Toronto.
Vejmelka was stellar as well as he made 37 saves but once again took the loss. He is 0-5-1 but has good peripherals as he has a 2.63 GAA and a .920 save percentage. The 25-year-old is playing in his first NHL season and has looked quite good on a weak Arizona side.
Andrei Svechnikov and Sebastian Aho each saw their seven-game scoring streaks end Sunday.
Dmitrij Jaskin had eight hits and four blocked shots for Arizona.
ANAHEIM 4 MONTREAL 2
It was a big win for the Ducks and especially veteran Ryan Getzlaf as the captain became the all-time leading scorer in Anaheim history with 989 points, surpassing Teemu Selanne.
Getzlaf picked up the historic assist on Troy Terry’s goal that was the game-winner in the 4-2 win over the Canadiens.
Adam Henrique had a goal and an assist for Anaheim while Sam Carrick and Vinni Lettieri each scored their first of the season.
Mike Hoffman and Jake Evans replied for Montreal who are 2-8-0 while Anaheim improves to 3-4-3.
John Gibson picked up the win as he stopped 16-of-18 shots. It was the first game in the last five that he hasn’t given up four goals. Gibson is 3-2-2 with a 2.93 GAA and a .906 save percentage.
Sam Montembeault was between the pipes for the Habs and he turned aside 22-of-25 shots in taking his second loss of the season in a pair of decisions. He has a 4.06 GAA and a .869 save percentage this season.
Boy, do the Canadiens miss Carey Price.
Cedric Paquette could be facing supplemental discipline after he was tossed from the game for boarding Trevor Zegras. Paquette received a minor, major and a game misconduct for his misdeed. Zegras missed the remainder of the first period but was back for the second.
Cam Fowler and Kevin Shattenkirk each had two assists.
Jeff Petry picked up an assist Sunday and it was his first point of the season in his 10th game.
LOS ANGELES 3 BUFFALO 2
Anze Kopitar scored once and added an assist to lead the Kings to a 3-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres.
Kopitar has been having a great season in the early going as he has seven goals and 13 points in just nine games.
After a scoreless first period, the Sabres jumped out to a 2-0 lead on goals by Rasmus Asplund and Victor Olofsson. Asplund’s goal was shorthanded and he must really like playing in Southern California as he had a pair against the Ducks on Thursday night.
But the Kings came roaring back as Carl Grundstrom cut the lead in half in the second period and then goals by Kopitar and Alex Iafallo with the winner, gave Los Angeles the victory.
Jonathan Quick made 22 saves to pick up his first win of the season. Quick is 1-3-1 with a 2.60 GAA and a .908 save percentage as he has been splitting the net with Cal Petersen.
The Sabres had Dustin Tokarski in net and he managed to stop 31 shots in taking the loss. He is 1-1-1 with a 1.92 GAA and a .936 save percentage as the Sabres dropped to 5-2-1.
Brendan Lemieux and Dylan Cozens had a fight in the second and Lemieux ended the evening with seven penalty minutes while Cozens had five.
Tobias Bjornfot picked up his first two assists of the season Sunday and Adrian Kempe also had a pair.
Iafallo had six shots on goal.
Viktor Arvidsson and Gabriel Vilardi were both placed in COVID protocol Sunday.
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COLUMBUS 4 NEW JERSEY 3 (Shootout)
Jakub Voracek scored the only goal of the shootout as the Columbus Blue Jackets picked up their fifth win of the season and defeated their Metropolitan Division counterparts, the New Jersey Devils, by a score of 4-3.
After Andreas Johnsson opened the scoring for New Jersey with his fourth of the season, the Blue Jackets came back in the first to score twice, on goals by Oliver Bjorkstrand on the power play, and Patrik Laine with his third of the season.
The Devils scored twice in the second to regain the lead as rookie Dawson Mercer with his third, and Dougie Hamilton, the Devils big off-season acquisition, found the back of the net to give New Jersey a 3-2 lead heading into the third.
Boone Jenner scored the lone goal of the third to send the game into overtime and a subsequent shootout.
It was a big night for Columbus goalie Joonas Korpisalo who picked up his first win of the season with 36 saves in regulation and overtime and all three shots that he faced in the shootout. Korpisalo is 1-2-0 with a 3.26 GAA and a .913 save percentage, backing up Elvis Merzlikins. There are rumors that Korpisalo may be on the trade block and that could make sense later in the season as Columbus inked Merzlikins to a five-year contract extension in the off-season while leaving Korpisalo without a contract for the 2022-23 campaign.
Scott Wedgewood took the shootout loss as he is 0-2-1 this season with a 3.19 GAA and a .880 save percentage. He will be sent back to the minors once Mackenzie Blackwood and Jonathan Bernier are back to health.
P.K. Subban and Voracek each had two assists.
Hamilton had 10 shots on goal and also managed four blocked shots.
Jimmy Vesey had six shots on Korpisalo.
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NEW YORK RANGERS 3 SEATTLE 1
Barclay Goodrow had a goal and an assist to lead the New York Rangers to a 3-1 win over the Kraken in Seattle.
The Rangers took a 1-0 lead in the opening stanza when the red-hot Chris Kreider scored his seventh of the season in just nine games. He ripped a shot over the glove shoulder of Philipp Grubauer in which the Seattle goaltender had no chance.
The score remained 1-0 New York until the 13:46 mark of the second period when Jordan Eberle took a wicked backhand shot from the face off circle and easily beat Igor Shesterkin in the Rangers net. It would be the only shot to elude Shesterkin as he was outstanding yet again, making 32 saves.
Adam Fox would get the eventual winner as he took a pass from Artemi Panarin and wristed a shot from the slot and past Grubauer.
Goodrow scored into the empty net to ice the game with 1:39 left in the third.
Shesterkin was outstanding in the New York net as he improved his record to 5-1-1 with a 1.69 GAA and a .948 save percentage.
Grubauer stopped 15-17 shots and is 3-4-1 with a 2.82 GAA and a .896 save percentage.
Jaden Schwartz had five shots on goal.
NIGHTLY LEADERS
Goals
1 by many
Assists
Cam Fowler – 2
Tobias Bjornfot – 2
Adrian Kempe – 2
Jakub Voracek – 2
P.K. Subban - 2
Shots on Goal
Dougie Hamilton – 10
Alex Iafallo – 6
Jimmy Vesey – 6
Dawson Mercer – 5
Adam Henrique – 5
Jaden Schwartz - 5
Hits
Dmitrij Jaskin - 8
Penalty Minutes
Cedric Paquette – 17
Brendan Lemieux – 7
Dylan Cozens - 5
