The 2023-24 NHL season is officially underway, with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Chicago Blackhawks and Vegas Golden Knights each entering the win column Tuesday to start the young year.
The Lightning scored the first win of the NHL season in Game 1 of the season-opening triple-header. After a wild third period, the Lightning defeated the Nashville Predators, 5-3, in what was a thrilling first game.
Entering the third period, the game was tied 1-1, but the scoring picked up from there. Tampa and Nashville traded goals in the final 20 minutes, but it was Nick Paul's two power play goals that pushed the Lightning over the top. The Predators made a desperate push to tie as time wound down, but Jonas Johansson stood tall in relief of the injured Andrei Vasilevskiy.
In the second game on Tuesday's slate, the Blackhawks shocked the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2 after scoring three unanswered goals, completing a stellar comeback in rookie Connor Bedard's regular-season debut. With just 4:31 remaining in the third period, Blackhawks forward Jason Dickinson fired a one-timer that made its way past Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry. Fellow forward Cole Guttman, who had just six points in his rookie campaign a season ago, added a goal as he buried a shot in the slot off a feed from defenseman Seth Jones. Bedard added a point as he assisted on one of Chicago's four goals.
The Golden Knights were victorious in the night's final game after raising a banner inside T-Mobile Arena. The Golden Knights cruised to a 4-1 win over the Seattle Kraken as they began their title defense. Chandler Stephenson, Jonathan Marchessault, Ivan Barbashev and Jack Eichel — all heroes from Vegas' Cup run last year — got on the scoreboard while Adin Hill stifled Seattle's offense all night.
The Golden Knights came out swinging on the night that they raised a Stanley Cup banner, and they pulled away from the Kraken to start the season with a 1-0 record. Seattle struggled to get much going in front of a rowdy atmosphere in Vegas, but at least they won't have to be present for any banner-raising ceremonies the rest of the season.
Jack Eichel hits the empty cage at the other end of the ice, and that is all she wrote. The Golden Knights are about to be 1-0 to start the 2023-24 season.
The Kraken are running out of time to climb back into this game. It also hasn't help that they've played some undisciplined hockey at points in the third period. The five-minute match penalty seemed to be the Kraken's biggest opportunity to start the comeback, but all six of their shots on that man advantage were denied. Tough night all around for Seattle.
Matty Beniers and Jordan Eberle both had chances to pull the Kraken within one after the penalty against Jared McCann expired, but Adin Hill made a pair of show-stopping saves. It's been that kind of night for Seattle. Even when they can get through to Hill, he has had all the answers.
Seattle fails to score on the five-minute power play, and time has become the enemy of the Kraken. To make matters worse, Jared McCann just took a cross-checking penalty to give Vegas a power play. T-Mobile Arena has come alive, and the Golden Knights are in full control.
Two minutes into the Kraken's power play, they have struggling just to get into the zone and get set up. The Golden Knights' penalty kill is giving them fits at the moment. Seattle needs to hit its stride quickly or it will squander an excellent chance to get back into this game.
Brandon Tanev goes down after taking a high shot from Brett Howden. The Seattle medical staff is out tending to Tanev, and the officials are determining the severity of the penalty against Howden. On the replay, it looks like Howden raises his shoulder into the head of Tanev, and he does receive a major penalty. Now, the Kraken will have a five-minute power play in what could be a huge turning point in this game.
Goaltender Adin Hill has been fantastic tonight. Jared McCann gets into his sweet spot and uncorks a one-timer that Hill flashes the leather on. Hill has stopped 24 of the 25 shots that he's been tasked with. He's definitely showing that he was deserving of the contract extension that he received after helping lead the Golden Knights to their first Stanley Cup in franchise history.
One more period left in opening night. Let's see whether the Kraken can come back and provide some fireworks.
From the Kraken's perspective, the second period was an improvement over the first. They did get a few more shots through to Adin HIll late in the period, but they are still giving up some good scoring chances the other way. That may not matter in the third because Seattle will have to throw some caution to the wind in hopes of finding a couple more goals.
The Golden Knights have clearly been the better team through the first two periods. The team has benefitted from some terrific vision on the ice, and are firmly in control. What's even more impressive is that Vegas is doing all of this without two of their top blue-liners in Alec Martinez and Zach Whitecloud.
The Golden Knights were able to maintain their two-goal lead after trading tallies with the Kraken in the second frame. Ivan Barbashev, after signing a $25 million contract in the offseason, extended Vegas' lead to 3-0. Jared McCann was able to get Seattle on the board, but the Kraken must find a way to pepper Adin Hill with more dangerous chances if they want to tie this game.
Nothing doing for the Kraken on their third power play of the game. They did get some sustained offensive zone pressure after the man advantage expired, but it didn't amount to many high-quality scoring chances. Seattle has had trouble getting into the middle of the ice against Vegas.
Yanni Gourde draws a high-sticking penalty on Brayden Pachal, and the Kraken are going to the power play with just over seven minutes left in the period. If Seattle can cut this deficit to one before the third period, it would a huge boost for them heading into the locker room.
Who else? Jared McCann finally breaks through to give the Kraken some life. McCann broke out for 40 goals last season, and he is on an 82-goal pace in 2023-24.
