CHICAGO (AP) — After John Tavares went off and Auston Matthews and Patrick Kane staged a memorable duel
Sean Monahan Jersey , Morgan Rielly got the last word on a wild Sunday night.Rielly scored 19 seconds into overtime, Tavares had three goals and the Toronto Maple Leafs spoiled Chicago’s home opener with a 7-6 victory over the Blackhawks.“Top to bottom we had contribution everywhere,” Tavares said.Matthews had two goals and two assists for Toronto in the opener of a four-game trip. Rielly also had two assists and Kasperi Kapanen finished with a goal and an assist, helping the Maple Leafs bounce back from Saturday night’s 5-3 loss to Ottawa.Garret Sparks, who is from the Chicago suburb of Elmhurst, made 25 saves to get the win in his first NHL game since 2016.“I went up against my childhood heroes tonight and there’s nothing cooler than that,” the 25-year-old Sparks said.Chicago was looking for its first 3-0 start since the 2012-13 season, but it was unable to clamp down on Toronto’s high-scoring lines. Kane scored twice in the final two minutes of regulation, and defensemen Duncan Keith and rookie Henri Jokiharju each had three assists.“It was a pretty crazy game,” Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said. “The quality of chances, the quantity of goals, the way it ended was a different level of unpredictability.”It was Tavares’ first hat trick since he agreed to a $77 million, seven-year contract with Toronto in July, choosing his hometown team over several other suitors in free agency. The contract ramped up expectations for the Leafs, and the talented center is already having an effect on his new franchise.“(I) want to be as consistent as I can so I prepare myself and expect a lot of myself on a nightly basis, with and without the puck
TJ Brodie Jersey ,” Tavares said.Tavares’ last goal made it 5-4 midway through the third, but the Maple Leafs and Blackhawks were just getting started. Especially Matthews and Kane.Kane tied it again from a bad angle with 1:24 remaining, shooting it past a screened Sparks. Then Matthews put the Maple Leafs back in front just 22 seconds later, beating Cam Ward from between the circles before holding his glove to his ear as if he was asking for more noise from the United Center crowd.With the third period winding down, Kane wasn’t done quite yet. He one-timed a big slap shot by Sparks with 29 seconds left, and then held his glove to his ear in response to Matthews.“I wasn’t really happy when he did it, so it was nice to get a chance to score and kinda give it back to him,” Kane said. “Wish we could have got another one in overtime.”But Rielly closed it out quickly in OT, sending a low wrist shot past Ward on the glove side.“Obviously a strange night with the way it finished,” he said. “We don’t want to be in those games too often, but obviously we’re happy with the outcome.”Jonathan Toews, Alex DeBrincat, John Hayden and Brandon Manning also scored for the Blackhawks, who opened the season with two overtime wins. Ward finished with 27 stops.Chicago got off to a fast start after an emotional pregame tribute to Hall of Fame forward Stan Mikita, who spent his entire 22-year NHL career with the franchise and died in August at age 78. Mikita’s wife, Jill
Womens Travis Hamonic Jersey , wiped away tears after a video of Mikita highlights was shown on the videoboard, and she was joined by Tavares and Toews for a ceremonial puck drop.The Blackhawks wore patches with Mikita’s No. 21 on their jerseys, and No. 21 was painted on the ice behind each goal.Toews then put Chicago in front when he tipped home Dominik Kahun’s shot, and DeBrincat made it 2-0 when he finished off a pretty passing sequence 12:02 into the first. It was Toews’ fifth goal in three games; he needed 19 games to score five times last season.Toronto responded with two goals in a 34-second span on plays by Kapanen and Matthews. First, Matthews made a perfect pass ahead to Kapanen for a breakaway at 14:09. Then Kapanen stripped Keith behind the net and found Matthews for the tying score.NOTES: Tavares got his ninth career hat trick. … It was Hayden’s first game of the season. F Andreas Martinsen was out of the lineup. … D Martin Marincin replaced Igor Ozhiganov in Toronto’s lineup. It was Marincin’s first appearance this season.UP NEXTMaple Leafs: Visit Dallas on Tuesday night.Blackhawks: Visit Minnesota on Thursday night. CALGARY, Alberta — Intense rivalries often bring out the best in athletes.That’s what fans will be hoping for when the Calgary Flames (10-8-1) host the first installment of the Battle of Alberta against the Edmonton Oilers (9-8-1) at the Scotiabank Saddledome on Saturday night.“Obviously it’s exciting playing against those guys,” said Flames forward Johnny Gaudreau. “It’s a good tradition playing against those guys. They get excited for those games and so do we. It’s going to be a lot of fun and we’re really looking forward to it.”Article continues below ...Gaudreau will be looking to snap out of a personal four-game scoreless streak, while also helping the Flames rebound from their second straight setback, a 3-2 loss to the visiting Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night.“I think our line has had a lot of good chances here in the past two, three games, and they’re just not dropping in right now for us,” said Gaudreau, who is tied with linemates Sean Monahan and Elias Lindholm at 19 points for second in scoring on the Flames (behind Matthew Tkachuk’s 21 points). “We’ve got to roll with the punches here and they’ll start coming.”While the Flames lost to Montreal on Thursday, the Oilers skated to a convincing 6-2 win over the Canadiens two nights earlier in Edmonton.Now, after a short rest and a couple days of practice, the Oilers are ready for their first game against a Pacific Division foe this season.“The Battle of Alberta definitely gets you wound up and gets you going
Custom Los Angeles Kings Jerseys ,” said Oilers coach Todd McLellan. “Any time you play a rival — it doesn’t matter if it’s Alberta or in Ontario or in another league or another sport — the fans get excited about it and the players get excited about it. Both teams are improving and pushing for a playoff spot.“I know it’s very early in the year, but these games become vitally important as they add up throughout the season. Our group will be excited about going there.”Since the Oilers also play at home on Sunday against the Vegas Golden Knights (8-10-1), McLellan has opted to start backup goalie Mikko Koskinen against the Flames before bouncing right back with netminder Cam Talbot the next night.“Two games, we’re at home and we’re on the road,” McLellan said. “One team went to the Stanley Cup Finals last year and the other team is a rival. We just decided that we would play Mikko on the road to experience the rivalry and Talbs at home in the back-to-back.”Although Flames bench boss Bill Peters announced on Friday that goaltender David Rittich will get the start against the Oilers, he added that he won’t be afraid to go back to Mike Smith, who let in the game-winning goal through his legs in the third period on Thursday to Montreal forward Artturi Lehkonen.“We’re going to keep putting him in there when the time is right and away you go,” said Peters of Smith. “He’ll get another chance and when you get the chance, seize the opportunity.”Rittich made 21 saves for his first NHL shutout against the Kings in Los Angeles in his last start last Saturday.“I feel good, but it’s another game and you have to be prepared for it,” said Rittich, who has a 5-1-0 record to go with a 1.91 goals-against average and a .935 save percentage. “What happened last game, it happened. Everyone in our locker room has to be prepared for another game. It’s going to be a great atmosphere here and we want to win.”In a one-for-one deal that was announced on Friday, the Oilers acquired Ryan Spooner from the New York Rangers in exchange for fellow forward Ryan Strome.
CHICAGO (AP) — After John Tavares went off and Auston Matthews and Patrick Kane staged a memorable duel Sean Monahan Jersey , Morgan Rielly got the last word on a wild Sunday night.Rielly scored 19 seconds into overtime, Tavares had three goals and the Toronto Maple Leafs spoiled Chicago’s home opener with a 7-6 victory over the Blackhawks.“Top to bottom we had contribution everywhere,” Tavares said.Matthews had two goals and two assists for Toronto in the opener of a four-game trip. Rielly also had two assists and Kasperi Kapanen finished with a goal and an assist, helping the Maple Leafs bounce back from Saturday night’s 5-3 loss to Ottawa.Garret Sparks, who is from the Chicago suburb of Elmhurst, made 25 saves to get the win in his first NHL game since 2016.“I went up against my childhood heroes tonight and there’s nothing cooler than that,” the 25-year-old Sparks said.Chicago was looking for its first 3-0 start since the 2012-13 season, but it was unable to clamp down on Toronto’s high-scoring lines. Kane scored twice in the final two minutes of regulation, and defensemen Duncan Keith and rookie Henri Jokiharju each had three assists.“It was a pretty crazy game,” Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said. “The quality of chances, the quantity of goals, the way it ended was a different level of unpredictability.”It was Tavares’ first hat trick since he agreed to a $77 million, seven-year contract with Toronto in July, choosing his hometown team over several other suitors in free agency. The contract ramped up expectations for the Leafs, and the talented center is already having an effect on his new franchise.“(I) want to be as consistent as I can so I prepare myself and expect a lot of myself on a nightly basis, with and without the puck TJ Brodie Jersey ,” Tavares said.Tavares’ last goal made it 5-4 midway through the third, but the Maple Leafs and Blackhawks were just getting started. Especially Matthews and Kane.Kane tied it again from a bad angle with 1:24 remaining, shooting it past a screened Sparks. Then Matthews put the Maple Leafs back in front just 22 seconds later, beating Cam Ward from between the circles before holding his glove to his ear as if he was asking for more noise from the United Center crowd.With the third period winding down, Kane wasn’t done quite yet. He one-timed a big slap shot by Sparks with 29 seconds left, and then held his glove to his ear in response to Matthews.“I wasn’t really happy when he did it, so it was nice to get a chance to score and kinda give it back to him,” Kane said. “Wish we could have got another one in overtime.”But Rielly closed it out quickly in OT, sending a low wrist shot past Ward on the glove side.“Obviously a strange night with the way it finished,” he said. “We don’t want to be in those games too often, but obviously we’re happy with the outcome.”Jonathan Toews, Alex DeBrincat, John Hayden and Brandon Manning also scored for the Blackhawks, who opened the season with two overtime wins. Ward finished with 27 stops.Chicago got off to a fast start after an emotional pregame tribute to Hall of Fame forward Stan Mikita, who spent his entire 22-year NHL career with the franchise and died in August at age 78. Mikita’s wife, Jill Womens Travis Hamonic Jersey , wiped away tears after a video of Mikita highlights was shown on the videoboard, and she was joined by Tavares and Toews for a ceremonial puck drop.The Blackhawks wore patches with Mikita’s No. 21 on their jerseys, and No. 21 was painted on the ice behind each goal.Toews then put Chicago in front when he tipped home Dominik Kahun’s shot, and DeBrincat made it 2-0 when he finished off a pretty passing sequence 12:02 into the first. It was Toews’ fifth goal in three games; he needed 19 games to score five times last season.Toronto responded with two goals in a 34-second span on plays by Kapanen and Matthews. First, Matthews made a perfect pass ahead to Kapanen for a breakaway at 14:09. Then Kapanen stripped Keith behind the net and found Matthews for the tying score.NOTES: Tavares got his ninth career hat trick. … It was Hayden’s first game of the season. F Andreas Martinsen was out of the lineup. … D Martin Marincin replaced Igor Ozhiganov in Toronto’s lineup. It was Marincin’s first appearance this season.UP NEXTMaple Leafs: Visit Dallas on Tuesday night.Blackhawks: Visit Minnesota on Thursday night. CALGARY, Alberta — Intense rivalries often bring out the best in athletes.That’s what fans will be hoping for when the Calgary Flames (10-8-1) host the first installment of the Battle of Alberta against the Edmonton Oilers (9-8-1) at the Scotiabank Saddledome on Saturday night.“Obviously it’s exciting playing against those guys,” said Flames forward Johnny Gaudreau. “It’s a good tradition playing against those guys. They get excited for those games and so do we. It’s going to be a lot of fun and we’re really looking forward to it.”Article continues below ...Gaudreau will be looking to snap out of a personal four-game scoreless streak, while also helping the Flames rebound from their second straight setback, a 3-2 loss to the visiting Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night.“I think our line has had a lot of good chances here in the past two, three games, and they’re just not dropping in right now for us,” said Gaudreau, who is tied with linemates Sean Monahan and Elias Lindholm at 19 points for second in scoring on the Flames (behind Matthew Tkachuk’s 21 points). “We’ve got to roll with the punches here and they’ll start coming.”While the Flames lost to Montreal on Thursday, the Oilers skated to a convincing 6-2 win over the Canadiens two nights earlier in Edmonton.Now, after a short rest and a couple days of practice, the Oilers are ready for their first game against a Pacific Division foe this season.“The Battle of Alberta definitely gets you wound up and gets you going Custom Los Angeles Kings Jerseys ,” said Oilers coach Todd McLellan. “Any time you play a rival — it doesn’t matter if it’s Alberta or in Ontario or in another league or another sport — the fans get excited about it and the players get excited about it. Both teams are improving and pushing for a playoff spot.“I know it’s very early in the year, but these games become vitally important as they add up throughout the season. Our group will be excited about going there.”Since the Oilers also play at home on Sunday against the Vegas Golden Knights (8-10-1), McLellan has opted to start backup goalie Mikko Koskinen against the Flames before bouncing right back with netminder Cam Talbot the next night.“Two games, we’re at home and we’re on the road,” McLellan said. “One team went to the Stanley Cup Finals last year and the other team is a rival. We just decided that we would play Mikko on the road to experience the rivalry and Talbs at home in the back-to-back.”Although Flames bench boss Bill Peters announced on Friday that goaltender David Rittich will get the start against the Oilers, he added that he won’t be afraid to go back to Mike Smith, who let in the game-winning goal through his legs in the third period on Thursday to Montreal forward Artturi Lehkonen.“We’re going to keep putting him in there when the time is right and away you go,” said Peters of Smith. “He’ll get another chance and when you get the chance, seize the opportunity.”Rittich made 21 saves for his first NHL shutout against the Kings in Los Angeles in his last start last Saturday.“I feel good, but it’s another game and you have to be prepared for it,” said Rittich, who has a 5-1-0 record to go with a 1.91 goals-against average and a .935 save percentage. “What happened last game, it happened. Everyone in our locker room has to be prepared for another game. It’s going to be a great atmosphere here and we want to win.”In a one-for-one deal that was announced on Friday, the Oilers acquired Ryan Spooner from the New York Rangers in exchange for fellow forward Ryan Strome.