Blues Pick Up Solid 5-2 Win Over Blackhawks

By ESPN

St. Louis Blues coach Ken Hitchcock got what he needed from his top players, and that was more than enough on opening night.

Vladimir Tarasenko had two goals and an assist, and the Blues kicked off the season with a solid 5-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday.

"The guys that have been around did a number today," Hitchcock said. "The guys that have been here before and know what it's like to play in this building, know what it's like to play against Chicago, they played really well today."

Kevin Shattenkirk and Paul Stastny each had a goal and two assists for the Blues, who eliminated the Blackhawks in seven games in the first round of the playoffs in April. Jake Allen had 17 saves in his first game since he was handed the lead goaltending job with Brian Elliott's June trade to Calgary.

St. Louis went 3 for 5 on the power play.

"I think that last two days in practice really helped us find our groove," said defenseman Alex Pietrangelo, who took over as captain after David Backes signed with Boston in the offseason. "We kept it simple, try not to be overly complicated. We've got a lot of guys who can shoot the puck. The big thing is putting the puck toward the net."

Richard Panik and Ryan Hartman scored for Chicago, which struggled in the second period. Corey Crawford finished with 29 saves.

The Blackhawks had five rookies in the starting lineup, and four players made their NHL debut. And they looked out of sync for much of the night.

"There's definitely some learning going on," coach Joel Quenneville said. "We'll accept mistakes through hard work, because that's how you get better."

Senators 5, Leafs 4

Auston Matthews delivered an NHL debut for the ages on Wednesday, scoring four goals on a night that won't soon be forgotten in the rich history of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The 19-year-old from Scottsdale, Arizona, chosen first overall in June's NHL draft, scored on his first three shots against the Senators, with the hat trick prompting visiting Leafs fans at the Canadian Tire Center in Ottawa to throw hats onto the ice.

Three was not enough, however.

Matthews took a pass from linemate William Nylander on a 2-on-1 break and scored a fourth goal (on just his sixth shot) with three seconds left in the second period, becoming the first player in modern NHL history to score that many in his debut.

The Senators went on to win the NHL season opener 5-4 in overtime.

Matthews called the night "pretty unbelievable."

"You don't really draw it up like that," he told Sportsnet after the game.

It was a record-breaking evening all around for Matthews.

The hat trick was the quickest for a player making his NHL debut (since 1943-44). And he became the fifth player overall to notch a hat trick in his first game, joining Derek Stepan of the New York Rangers (2010), Fabian Brunnstrom of the Dallas Stars (2008), Real Cloutier of the Quebec Nordiques (1979) and Alex Smart of the Montreal Canadiens (1943).

Wednesday, October 12 Scoreboard

Ottawa 5,  Toronto 4 (OT)

St. Louis 5, Chicago 2

Edmonston 7, Calgary 4

San Jose 2, Los Angeles 1

Thursday, October 13 Schedule (All Times Central)

Montreal at Buffalo, 6 p.m.

NY Islanders at NY Rangers, 6 p.m.

Washington at Pittsburgh, 6 p.m.

Boston at Columbus, 6 p.m.

Detroit at Tampa Bay, 6:30 p.m.

New Jersey at Florida, 6:30 p.m.

Minnesota at St. Louis, 7 p.m.

Carolina at Winnipeg, 7 p.m.

Anaheim at Dallas, 7:30 p.m.

Friday, October 14 Schedule (All Times Central)

Chicago at Nashville, 7 p.m.

Edmonton at Calgary, 8 p.m.

Philadelphia at Los Angeles, 9:30 p.m.

Saturday, October 15 Schedule (All Times Central)

Boston at Toronto, 6 p.m.

Montreal at Ottawa, 6 p.m.

New Jersey at Tampa Bay, 6 p.m.

Detroit at Florida, 6 p.m.

Anaheim at Pittsburgh, 6 p.m.

NY Islanders at Washington, 6 p.m.

San Jose at Columbus, 6 p.m.

Winnipeg at Minnesota, 6 p.m.

NY Rangers at St. Louis, 7 p.m.

Nashville at Chicago, 7:30 p.m.

Dallas at Colorado, 8 p.m.

Philadelphia at Arizona, 8 p.m.

Calgary at  Vancouver, 9 p.m.

Sunday, October 16 Schedule (All Times Central)

Anaheim at NY Rangers, 5 p.m.

Buffalo at Edmonton, 6 p.m.

Carolina at Vancouver, 9 p.m.