Friday night in the NHL delivered a trio of storylines with playoff-type intensity. The Anaheim Ducks rolled into Winnipeg and handed the Jets their first regulation loss of the season, 5-1, behind a breakout night from the club's young talent. Rookie Judd Caulfield scored his first NHL goal and added an assist, while Tim Washe and Mikael Granlund each posted a goal and an assist. Sam Colangelo and Nikita Nesterenko also found the net, and goaltender Lukas Dostal turned aside 15 shots as the Ducks improved to 3-1-0. The Jets (3-1-1) salvaged a milestone moment, as Kyle Connor scored in his 700th career NHL game.
In New York, the Washington Capitals cooled off the Rangers 3-1, snapping New York's four-game winning streak. Boone Jenner scored his first goal in a Capitals uniform after signing a four-year, $23-million deal on July 1, and Timothy Liljegren also notched his first goal with Washington. Logan Thompson made 22 saves in the win. The bigger story may be in the Rangers' crease: star goaltender Igor Shesterkin departed in the second period with a lower-body injury after jamming his right leg into the goal post, and he was unable to put weight on it as he left the ice. Alexis Lafreniere scored his fourth of the season for New York (4-2-0); the Caps moved to 3-1-0.
The night's closest contest went to a shootout, where Kent Johnson scored the decisive goal to lift the Columbus Blue Jackets past the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2. Pittsburgh goaltender Sergei Murashov was the star of the losing effort, piling up 43 saves to keep the Penguins alive into the extra frame. The Blue Jackets improved to 2-1-0 on the young season.
