Recapping Saturday’s preseason action, Patrik Laine suffers a knee injury, Jonathan Marchessault and Sean Monahan made impressive debuts with their new teams, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.
RECAPS OF SATURDAY’S NHL PRESEASON GAMES
NHL.COM: The Toronto Maple Leafs 2-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens was overshadowed by what appears to be a serious knee injury suffered by Canadiens winger Patrik Laine following a knee-on-knee hit by Leafs forward Cedric Pare early in the first period. Nick Robertson scored both goals for the Leafs while Kirby Dach replied for the Canadiens.
Montreal Canadiens winger Patrik Laine (NHL Images).
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Laine had to be helped off the ice and reportedly left the arena on crutches wearing a knee brace following the game. There was no update on his condition but it’s obvious that the injury is serious.
Canadiens defenseman Arber Xhekaj retaliated against Pare by pummelling the Leafs forward, earning 17 minutes in penalties including a game misconduct.
Laine wasn’t the only Hab to depart with a leg injury. Rookie defenseman David Reinbacher left in the game’s opening seconds after falling awkwardly on his left leg following a check by Leafs forward Marshall Rifai. There was no update regarding his injury after the game as he’ll be re-evaluated on Sunday.
Philadelphia Flyers rookie winger Matvei Michkov scored twice, including the winner in overtime, to defeat the Boston Bruins 3-2. Joonas Korpisalo made 37 saves for the Bruins.
The Edmonton Oilers nipped the Seattle Kraken 5-4 with Raphael Lavoie scoring the game-winner late in the third period. Mattias Ekholm scored a goal and collected two assists for the Oilers.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Edmonton goaltender Calvin Pickard left this game following a first-period goal-mouth collision with teammate Noah Philp. Following the game, Oilers coach Kris Knoblach said he’d know more about Pickard’s status on Sunday.
Nashville Predators winger Jonathan Marchessault had a goal and two assists in a 6-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning. Juuse Saros made 23 saves for the shutout. This was Marchessault’s first game with the Predators since joining them on July 1 as a free agent.
The Columbus Blue Jackets defeated the Buffalo Sabres 6-3 with Sean Monahan scoring two goals. Elvis Merzlikins got the win with a 28-save performance. This was Monahan’s debut with the Blue Jackets, having signed a five-year deal with them in July.
St. Louis Blues winger Dylan Holloway’s second goal of the game was an overtime winner in a 3-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks, who had a 2-0 lead at one point in this contest.
The Calgary Flames doubled up the Vancouver Canucks 4-2. Ryan Lomberg and Brayden Pachal each had a goal and an assist for the Flames.
Florida Panthers forward Jesper Boqvist was the overtime hero in a 5-4 comeback victory over the Carolina Hurricanes. The Panthers scored the final four goals of this game after the Hurricanes went up 4-1 early in the second period.
The Los Angeles Kings downed the Anaheim Ducks 3-2. Alex Laferriere scored twice and Anze Kopitar had a goal and an assist for the Kings. Lukas Dostal turned aside 30 shots for the Ducks.
IN OTHER NEWS…
PITTSBURGH HOCKEY NOW: The Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings game scheduled for Saturday was postponed and rescheduled for Monday in Detroit. Mechanical issues prevented their plan from flying to Detroit on Saturday afternoon.
YARDBARKER: Former NHL center Evgeny Kuznetsov suffered an undisclosed injury during a recent game. It’s expected he’ll be sidelined for at least two months.
TAMPA BAY TIMES: Lightning owner Jeff Vinik announced the Lightning Foundation will donate $2 million toward relief efforts for those affected by Hurricane Helene in Florida.