2021 NHL opener kicks off on Wednesday featuring a 10-team header which highlighted the first wins of Philadelphia Flyers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks, Tampa Bay Lightning, and St. Louis Blues for this season.
Last season, the COVID-19 pandemic slammed the NHL with several postponements. The hockey league was forced to close until August.
2021 NHL Opening Night Results
Philadelphia Flyers vs Pittsburgh Penguins, 6-3
Alain Vigneault was hoping for a miraculous win for the Flyers, with his team looking for a rare riser with Nolan Patrick and Oskar Lindblom's shortened participation last year.
In a report by Yahoo! Sports, Vigneault told that he was disappointed with Oskar's long hiatus last season. The Swedish forward only played with the Flyers until December 2019.
Vigneault spoke that Oskar never had the chance to experience the warm welcome of the crowd which he deserved. The 24-year-old just returned to the scene after his battle with bone cancer. Patrick, on the other hand, missed the last season due to migraine attacks.
To Vigneault's surprise, both Patrick and Lindblom contributed with one goal apiece on their first home game. Joel Farabee shot a goal to go with four points and three assists.
Toronto Maple Leafs vs Montreal Canadiens, 5-4
The Maple Leafs hosted their first game of the season following a close 5-4 win over the Canadiens. The two Canadian teams wowed the spectators as Montreal poured the first three points for a 3-1 advantage in the second frame.
When Montreal went slack on their defense, Toronto executed four final goals highlighted by Morgan Reily's ultimatum in overtime. Both William Nylander and John Tavares piled three points for the Maple Leafs.
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Tampa Bay Lightning vs Chicago Blackhawks, 5-1
Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning polished their opener victory against Chicago Blackhawks with a 5-1 finish.
The reigning hockey kings controlled the whole game, courtesy of Mathieu Joseph, Anthony Cirelli, and Ondrej Palat. But, the biggest play came from Steven Stamkos who eked out a goal and two assists on his return from core muscle surgery, The Star reported.
Tampa Bay's keeper Andrei Vasilevskiy found his groove in the net after halting 22 shots.
Vancouver Canucks vs Edmonton Oilers, 5-3
The second Canadian match up occupied the opener with the Canucks that came on the finish line. Rookie left winger Nils Hoglander played like a veteran in the all-Canadian scuffle after scoring the first goal of his career.
As per Sports Net, the 20-year-old player fit with Canucks' system, together with Brock Boeser who flung two goals and two points. Hoglander aided Bo Horvat in the early rounds with an ice-smooth assist en route to an opening goal.
St. Louis Blues vs Colorado Avalanche, 4-1
The Colorado Avalanche were the early birds, but the last tussle saw St. Louis Blues turned a topsy-turvy match into a blitz game. The Blues fired three successive goals coming from Jordan Kyrou, Oskar Sundqvist, and Kyle Clifford.
The Avalanche relied on Andre Burakovsky's lone goal for the offense, however, the Blues' comeback was unexpected for the host team.
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