NHL 2019-20 - Day 1

It's the beginning of a new hockey league. With that comes the news that I am now a contributor with Rotowire, a fantasy sports site. I have worked in baseball but I'm beginning my first full season with the hockey department. As such, I may have to prioritize my contributions with Rotowire versus what I post here. With that in mind, that is a concern for another day. Here's your scoring recaps from Opening Night.

First up, the Toronto Maple Leafs host the Ottawa Senators. Craig Anderson and Frederik Andersen are the similarly-named goalies. Ottawa began in the first period with a Brady Tkachuk goal, via Connor Brown and Colin White. Toronto tied it on a Frederik Gauthier goal in the second period, coming off of Tyson Barrie and Dmytro Timashov. The Maple Leafs took the lead on a Trevor Moore goal, passed from Ilya Mikheyev and Rasmus Sandin. The Senators retied it with a Scott Sabourin goal, assisted by Filip Chlapik and Jean-Gabriel Pageau. Toronto regained the lead with an Auston Matthews goal, guided in by William Nylander and Morgan Rielly. The Maple Leafs added on with a Matthews power play goal, powered by Mitchell Marner and John Tavares. Toronto extended the lead in the third period as Mikheyev scored, thanks to Barrie. Ottawa got one back with a Bobby Ryan goal, helped along by Chris Tierney and Mark Borowiecki. This only made it 5-3, the final, with the three stars being Matthews, Barrie, and Mikheyev.

Southwest to St. Louis, as the Blues welcome the Washington Capitals. Braden Holtby and Jordan Binnington guard the cages. St. Louis led off in the first period with a Sammy Blais goal, passed from David Perron and Ryan O'Reilly. The Blues added on with an Alex Pietrangelo power play goal, powered by Justin Faulk and O'Reilly. Washington got on the board with an Alex Ovechkin goal, assisted by John Carlson and Lars Eller. The Capitals tied it in the second period with a Dmitry Orlov power play goal, with helpers from Nick Jensen and Eller. Washington won 3-2 in overtime on a Jakub Vrana goal, courtesy of Carlson and T.J. Oshie. The three stars belonged to Carlson, Eller, and O'Reilly.

Northwest again to Edmonton, where the Oilers bring in the Vancouver Canucks. Jacob Markstrom and Mike Smith are the goalies. Edmonton started in the first period with a Leon Draisaitl goal, assisted by Zack Kassian and Matt Benning. Vancouver tied it in the second period with an Alexander Edler goal, courtesy of Brock Boeser and J.T. Miller. The Canucks took the lead in the third period with a Tanner Pearson goal, fueled by Tyler Myers and Quinn Hughes. The Oilers retied it on a Kassian goal, made possible by Draisaitl and Darnell Nurse. Edmonton pulled ahead with a Connor McDavid goal, via Draisaitl and Benning. This stood for a 3-2 win, with Draisaitl, Kassian, and Benning earning the three stars.

Down in Nevada, the Vegas Golden Knights host the San Jose Sharks. Martin Jones and Marc-Andre Fleury are the masked men. Vegas opened with an unassisted Mark Stone power play goal. The Golden Knights added on with a Reilly Smith goal, made possible by William Karlsson. San Jose got on the board with a Marcus Sorensen goal, helped along by Logan Couture and Brent Burns. Vegas replied in the second period with a Cody Glass courtesy of Max Pacioretty and Stone. The Golden Knights extended the lead in the third period on another Smith goal, his second of the game, set up by Karlsson while shorthanded. The final held at 4-1, with the three stars handed to Smith, Karlsson, and Stone.

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