The first three days of the earliest leaguewide start in NHL history delivered scores straight out of the 1980s. Edmonton and Vancouver played 6-5 and 9-7 games. Pittsburgh routed Philadelphia 7-0. Colorado beat Los Angeles 8-4.
"There's a lot of goals being scored, which tells you that there's some loose hockey still being played," New York Islanders coach Peter De Boer said Thursday. The hockey has been sloppy, scoring is up slightly, and goaltenders are stopping the puck less than last season. But with the first 100 or so games in the books following shorter training camps and less exhibition action, there's little evidence it has drastically altered play compared to previous starts.
The first 110 games have featured 344 goals, led by Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard with six. That's an average of 6.26 per game, up from 6.1 over the first 112 games a year ago. Power plays are clicking at a 20.9% success rate, compared to 19.8%, led by Tourigny's Mammoth at 61.5%. Utah's Dylan Guenther, who leads the league with six power-play points, credited the extra special-teams emphasis in camp.
The average save percentage is .890, compared with .896 last season, the lowest combined mark since 1994. Giveaways remain high, with more than 16 per game. New Jersey Devils coach Sheldon Keefe said teams must prioritize a few key areas early, since the shortened camp leaves less time to teach. Player fitness does not appear to be a concern, though it may take weeks to know whether fewer preseason games affected injuries.
Islanders captain Bo Horvat said he expects play to get crisper as the season goes on. Guenther summed up the mood: "It's nice having a shorter camp. I'm not going to complain about that."
Source: ESPN NHL · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing