What a night.
The first Saturday of the 2017-18 NHL regular season was as thrilling as they come. Between improbable comebacks, star goaltenders getting pulled and 100-year droughts ending, it was a hectic night of hockey.
Here are four things we learned in the NHL on Saturday night.
A night of fours
The number 4 was a common theme on Saturday.
Alex Ovechkin scored four times against the Montreal Canadiens, the Toronto Maple Leafs surrendered a four-goal advantage versus the New York Rangers, plus the Buffalo Sabres and New York Islanders had a combined four shorthanded goals in the second period of their game.
If anything could perfectly describe the insanity in the NHL on Saturday, it’s the above paragraph.
Ovechkin loves facing Price
Ovechkin began his season with a hat trick in the Washington Capitals‘ opener against the Ottawa Senators. He followed that up with another four goals versus the Canadiens.
However, this is not the first time Ovechkin has gotten the better of Carey Price. In fact, the Russian superstar entered Saturday with 13 goals in his last 20 games against Price. Make that 16 over the previous 21 as three of his four goals came against the Montreal netminder.
Additionally, Ovechkin’s second hat trick in as many games put him in some very elite company.
Murray picks up where he left off vs. Predators
Matt Murray’s start to the season had been anything but impressive. He allowed five goals in the Pittsburgh Penguins’ opener before conceding six to the Chicago Blackhawks in the 10-1 loss on Thursday.
However, the third time was definitely the lucky charm for Murray, because he continued his stellar form versus the Nashville Predators dating back to the Stanley Cup Final. Pittsburgh would end up walking away with a 4-0 victory.
If anything, at least Murray’s goals-against average went down and save percentage shot up after a sloppy beginning.
Butcher makes Devils history
The early game on Saturday may not have been as intriguing as others, but it ended up being an historic day for the New Jersey Devils.
Rookie Will Butcher picked up three assists as the Devils cruised past the Colorado Avalanche 4-1 at home. In doing so, Butcher became the first player in franchise history to record three points in his NHL regular-season debut.
Congratulations to @WillButcher4, who has become the first player in #NJDevils history to record three points in his @NHL debut! pic.twitter.com/swpmhv9aza
— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) October 7, 2017
Ironically, Butcher was actually drafted by the Avalanche in the fifth round back in 2013. He played for the University of Denver from 2013 until this year, helping them win the 2017 NCAA Championship.
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