RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Nikita Kucherov scored a third-period hat trick to help the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-1 in Friday night’s season opener for both teams.
Kucherov beat Hurricane goaltender Frederick Andersen for the go-ahead power-play goal 11:06 into the third with a low slapshot on the glove side. The Lightning winger then iced the game empty-net goals at 17:52 and 19:44. Brayden Point also scored a power-play goal for the Lightning to open the scoring.
Andrei Vasilevskiy finished with 20 saves.
Captain Jordan Staal scored a first-period goal for Carolina by tapping in an around-the-net feed from William Carrier, but the Hurricanes were unable to beat Vasilevskiy again.
Andersen finished with 19 saves for Carolina.
JETS 2, BLACKHAWKS 1, OT
WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Mark Scheifele scored the tying goal with 1:04 left in regulation and scored the winner 38 seconds into overtime to lift Winnipeg to a win over Chicago.
Connor Hellebuyck stopped 25 shots to help Winnipeg win its home opener two nights to improve to 2-0 on the season.
Ryan Donato scored late in the second period for Chicago, and Arvid Soderblom finished with 34 saves. The Blackhawks are 0-1-1.
GOLDEN KNIGHTS 4, BLUES 3
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Jack Eichel, Ivan Barbashev and Shea Theodore each had a goal and an assist to lead Vegas to a victory over St. Louis.
Nicolas Roy, playing in his 300th career game, scored the other Golden Knights goal, and Mark Stone had two assists. Adin Hill made 19 saves.
Pavel Buchnevich totaled two goals and an assist for the Blues — who lost for the first time this season after winning their first two — and Robert Thomas had the other goal. Jordan Kyrou recorded two assists and has six points in three games. Jordan Binnington made 24 stops.
FLYERS 3, CANUCKS 2. SO
VANCOUVER, Britsih Columbia (AP) — Morgan Frost scored the deciding goal in the fifth round of the shootout and Philadelphia opened their season with a victory over Vancouver.
Tyson Forester and Cam York scored in regulation for the Flyers, and Samuel Ersson finished with 24 saves.
Teddy Blueger and Nils Hoglander scored for the Canucks, and Kevin Lankinen made 30 saves in his Vancouver debut.
It marked the second straight game where the Canucks lost in extra time after holding a lead heading into the third period.
Travis Konecny also scored int he shootout for Philadelphia, and Jake DeBrusk tallied for Vancouver.
The Associated Press
