Do Mine Eyes Deceive Me?

Holy cow, kids. We have some hockey action to report on. And not just news or player movement, but actual scores! We're just past the halfway point in September, and it feels good to report on something other than some news. We had a few games tonight, including another game in the Battle of Alberta, but none of the games were overly impressive. Most of the teams are holding their stars out of these early games, and that's probably for the best. Why risk the injury, right?

Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
Columbus didn't dress Rick Nash or goaltender Steve Mason, while the Penguins held back Evgeni Malkin and Bill Guerin.

Columbus took it to Pittsburgh early on, racking up three goals in the first 40 minutes. Jakub Voracek scored on the powerplay in the first period, and Maxim Mayorov netted two goals in the second to pace the Blue Jackets to a 3-0 lead.

Crosby scored on the powerplay at 3:49 into the third period, and added another goal just three minutes later. Chris Conner tied the game at 13:44 as the Penguins showed some resolve after struggling for the first 40 minutes. However, Columbus' Alexandre Picard restored the lead for the Blue Jackets with his goal at 17:58. The Penguins responded quickly as Chris Kunitz netted the equalizer at 18:15 to tie the game at 4-4. And just 44 seconds into overtime, Kunitz struck again as he scored the winner past Dan Lacosta in the extra frame to give the Penguins the 5-4 win.

Mathieu Garon, the former Penguin, stopped all 21 shots he faced with the Jackets in his first start of the season. Marc-Andre Fleury was an average 16 of 19 in his 40 minutes of work. Goaltender Brad Thiessen stopped 8 of 9 shots to earn the victory.

Ottawa Senators vs. Florida Panthers
Ottawa sat out Daniel Alfredsson, Alexei Kovalev, and Jason Spezza. Florida had Tomas Vokoun in the press box. This game was played in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

A fairly uneventful game with most of the offensive stars sitting out, but Pascal Leclaire started his first game in an Ottawa Senators uniform. Alexandre Picard (yes, another one) put the Senators up 1-0 as his long blast from the blueline got behind goaltender Scott Clemmensen. However, Scott Timmins and Kamil Kreps responded for Florida before the end of the first period, giving the Panthers a 2-1 lead into the intermission.

In the second period, David Booth increased the lead to 3-1 for the Panthers as he beat goaltender Robin Lehner. Both teams held tough for the rest of the way, and the game ended as a 3-1 Panthers win.

Other scores:

Boston defeats the New York Rangers by a 2-1 score. Tuukka Rask earned the victory, while Mark Savard scored the winner on a powerplay in the second period.

The St. Louis Blues defeated the Minnesota Wild by a 3-1 score. Chris Mason earned the win, and Chris Porter scored the game-winning goal.

The veteran-laden lineup that the Edmonton Oilers iced defeated their cross-province rivals in the Calgary Flames by a 4-1 score. Patrick O'Sullivan scored a pair of goals, including the game-winner, while goalie Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers earned the win. An interesting note that Robbie Schremp wore #88 in this game for Edmonton.

The split squad game in Glendale, Arizona saw the Phoenix Coyotes defeat the Los Angeles Kings by a 4-2 score. Jeff Hoggan scored the winner for the Coyotes while goaltender Ilja Bryzgalov picked up the win.

The other half of the split squad game in Los Angeles saw the Kings pick up the split by downing the Coyotes by a 4-3 score. Jack Johnson's shorthanded marker in he third period turned out to be the winner, and Jonathan Bernier scored the win in net.

It feels good to report on hockey action. I've missed it badly, and there is nothing in Oregon that is even remotely hockey-related. I've seen skating on a rink inside of a mall, but there were no sticks, no pucks, and no nets. I need to get back to the Great White North to get my hockey fix!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!