RLEIGH: Nikita Kucherov scored a hat trick in the final nine minutes and the Tampa Bay Lightning posted a 4-1 victory against the Carolina Hurricanes in the season opener for both teams Friday night in Raleigh, N.C. Brayden Point scored the first Tampa Bay goal, with Kucherov picking up an assist on the goal. Kucherov added two empty-net goals, including the last one with 16 seconds left. The first two Lightning goals came on power plays. Andrei Vasilevskiy made 20 saves for the Lightning, who responded quickly with the Hurricanes using an extra attacker with more than two minutes to play.
Jets 2, Blackhawks 1 (OT)
Mark Scheifele scored 38 seconds into overtime after tying the score in the closing stages and Connor Hellebuyck stopped 25 shots to lift host Winnipeg over Chicago. The game-winner was the 300th career goal for Scheifele, who put it in on a redirect from Kyle Connor. Josh Morrissey had the secondary assist for the Jets. Blackhawks goaltender Arvid Soderblom appeared on the verge of his first career shutout in a duel with Hellebuyck, the reigning Vezina Trophy winner. Ryan Donato scored late in the second period for Chicago. Soderblom stopped 33 shots.
Flyers 3, Canucks 2 (SO)
Morgan Frost scored the decisive goal in the fifth round of a shootout as visiting Philadelphia won its season opener, beating Vancouver. Tyson Foerster and Cam York scored in regulation for the Flyers, who are beginning the season with a four-game western road trip. Goaltender Samuel Ersson made 24 saves in regulation and stopped three Canucks attempts in the shootout. Another Vancouver shooter missed the target in the tiebreaker. Nils Hoglander and Teddy Blueger scored and Kevin Lankinen made 29 stops in regulation for the Canucks, who were playing the second contest of a two-game homestand to begin the season.
Golden Knights 4, Blues 3
The forward line of Jack Eichel, Ivan Barbashev and Mark Stone combined for six points as Vegas defeated St. Louis in Las Vegas. Eichel and Barbashev each had a goal and an assist and Stone had two assists for the Golden Knights, who have won their first two games of the season. Pavel Buchnevich had two goals and an assist for the Blues, who finished 2-1-0 on their season-opening road trip. Jordan Kyrou logged two assists and Jordan Binnington made 24 saves.
LAS VEGAS: Cole Schwindt #22, Alex Pietrangelo #7, Shea Theodore #27 and Keegan Kolesar #55 of the Vegas Golden Knights celebrate after Schwindt assisted Theodore on a second-period goal against the St. Louis Blues for Schwindt’s first NHL point during their game at T-Mobile Arena. — AFP