Capitals Edge Out Blues as 2019-20 NHL Season Starts
Another season of the National Hockey League has just begun, but this season started way before the first puck drop. After a hectic off season and a star-studded draft, this is how we got to opening night.
One of the biggest free agents on the market this year in Artemi Panarin signed an $81.5 million deal with the New York Rangers for 7 years, also joining the Rangers is the second overall selection in the 2019 draft, Finland winger Kaapo Kakko. Lastly, the Rangers gave a first-round pick in next year’s draft to the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for defenseman Jacob Trouba.
However, the moves of the Rangers might have been overshadowed by those from the team right across the Hudson River. The New Jersey Devils drafted the top-rated prospect Jack Hughes with the first overall pick. The next day, they acquired star defenseman P.K. Subban from the Nashville Predators. With 2018 MVP Taylor Hall returning from his knee injury suffered last December, the Devils could be making some noise in the Eastern Conference this year.
The Columbus Blue Jackets, a year after sweeping the Stanley Cup favorite Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round, are set for mediocrity after having lost their three best players. Their star forwards Artemi Panarin and Matt Duchene left for the New York Rangers and the Nashville Predators, while elite goalie Sergei Bobrovsky headed south to join the Florida Panthers.
Other notable free-agent acquisitions include Mats Zuccarello leaving the Dallas Stars for the Minnesota Wild, while Dallas signed Anaheim Ducks forward Corey Perry and former San Jose Sharks captain Joe Pavelski. Finally, in a blockbuster trade, the Calgary Flames and the Edmonton Oilers swapped goaltenders: the Oilers received Mike Smith and the Flames got Cam Talbot.
The big game of the first night of the 2019-2020 NHL season was on Wednesday, October 2nd, between the last two Stanley Cup champions: the 2019 champion St. Louis Blues, and the 2018 champion Washington Capitals. With Alex Ovechkin starting for the Capitals, they are always a tough team to play against, but the defending champions were up for the challenge.
The Blues made a historic turn around last season as well past the midway point of the season they were last in the league. But when goaltender Jordan Binnington came up from the minor leagues, they made a run and found themselves in the playoffs as the third seed in the Central Division. They carried that momentum all the way and won the Stanley Cup in Game 7 in Boston.
Last year, the Washington Capitals were once again the best team in the Metropolitan Division. But the division rival Carolina Hurricanes shocked the rest of the league when they defeated the Capitals in overtime of Game 7, ending their chances of winning back-to-back Stanley Cups by eliminating them in the first round.
The game started out with a bang as Sammy Blais scored for the Blues less than a minute into the game, sending the St. Louis home crowd into a frenzy. The Blues would score again in the first period as captain Alex Pietrangelo scored on the power play to bring the lead to 2-0.
The Capitals would cut their deficit in half before the first period as Ovechkin scored with just over four minutes left in the period. They would go into the second period down 2-1.
Midway through the second period, Capitals defenseman Dimitri Orlov scored on the power play with a missile of a wrist shot to tie the game. It would remain that way as the second period would end with the teams knotted up at two.
The third period was showcased by the two goaltenders, as Braden Holtby for the Capitals and Jordan Binnington for the Blues stopped every shot that came their way in the final period of regulation. As the horn sounded, sixty minutes was not enough time for the last two Stanley Cup champions. The game would go to overtime.
After almost three minutes passed in the five minute overtime period, the Capitals ended the game as Jakub Vrana was able to squeak the puck by Binnington to give the Capitals their first win of the season. After letting up two goals on his first three shots faced, Braden Holtby would stop every shot that came his way as the Capitals locked up two points for the win.
After seeing how close the first game of the season can be, it is going to be a battle for every team as they try to hoist the Stanley Cup this year. As the Blues showed last year, no matter where you are in the standings, or how far you are in the season, you can make a run that leads all the way to a championship.
Photos:
https://images.app.goo.gl/j374eCgaba2qJcZo9 (NBC Sports)
https://images.app.goo.gl/Yrnxf1VZ7sQbYsHs8 (New York Post)
https://images.app.goo.gl/5jJ5tMpYK7C5hgAA6 (The Hockey Writers)
https://images.app.goo.gl/Krb9Fztv72AqQqvU8 (SportsNet)
https://images.app.goo.gl/W9ZERADs8pFFWHeX9 (Sports Illustrated)
