Dose: Jack Counters Connor

Recaps, get your recaps.

(Careful, the plate is hot.)

PREDATORS 2, HURRICANES 1

-- “Score effects” are a weird beast. The Predators dominated to begin, and then the Hurricanes either woke up or took advantage of Nashville sleeping to basically flip the script. If this was truly a matter of Nashville sitting back, I think Peter Laviolette should reconsider that strategy.

-- It’s understandable to lean that way a bit with Pekka Rinne looking like a legit $7 million goalie. Carolina spoiled his shutout late in the third.

-- Seth Jones hasn’t been around that long, yet it feels like I’ve been forecasting his breakout for forever (the ravages of an aging mind I guess). Nice night for him with two assists.

-- Viktor Arvidsson: a goal and a weird name.

-- James Wisniewski suffered what might have been a knee injury. He’s really had a tough go of things more or less since that ill-fated trade to Anaheim at the deadline.

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BLUES 3, OILERS 1

-- Ryan Nugent-Hopkins owners got a gift in his goal, as it was the result of a fluky bounce by the Blues in an own-goal. Maybe that’s making up for all the bad luck RNH has had health-wise?

-- Jaden Schwartz is too good to be ranked in the 100’s. Two assists for a very nice winger.

-- Connor McDavid’s night wasn’t satisfying from a fantasy standpoint, but the kid sure looked fast and increasingly comfortable. He also looks uncomfortably like a high school ENEMY of mine, but I’ll try my best to let that slide.

(Aside: Holy smokes McDavid is a terrible interview, unless last night was an unusual occurrence.)

-- Robby Fabbri (FRIEND OF MCDAVID!) scored his first career NHL goal. It was a beauty, although Jori Lehtera deserves the most credit.

LIGHTNING 3, FLYERS 2 (OT)

-- What a weird game. The Flyers received two penalty shot opportunities, failing on both. Jason Garrison scored the first 3-on-3 OT goal (!) on a semi-breakaway (!) for his second goal of the night (!).

-- I wonder if this game will set expectations too high for 3-on-3 OT. My guess is that some coaches will subvert the format to kill the fun, especially as the season goes on. We might just be in that early period where it’s like the “Wild West,” so savor this “innocent” period.

-- Jonathan Drouin really could have a breakout. He grabbed two assists, and he could enjoy quite a year spitting the puck out into Steve Stamkos’ wheelhouse.

-- It’s way too early to get excited about R.J. Umberger (aside from making dopey DUMBERGER jokes), but hey, Philly will take his two assists.

-- The Flyers seem capable of being self-destructively solid, following outside the playoffs but storing too many points to get a much-needed gem in the 2016 NHL Draft. Ownership won’t like it, but this team is better off tanking.

SENATORS 3, SABRES 1

-- Jack Eichel gets at least one-up on McDavid. While the more-hyped wunderkind failed to collect a point, Jack Eichel scored a goal in his first NHL game. Neither won, though, obviously.

Can we get him to shave his head, though? Or maybe do so when Buffalo next makes the playoffs? It's not an ideal look.

-- Not sure why it's vaguely difficult to get excited about Kyle Turris. He's quite good, but it's fuzzy as far as where he truly ranks. Maybe 2015-16 will provide a useful answer?

-- Robin Lehner was injured in this one, so keep an eye out. Chad Johnson strikes me as a guy who could get shelled something rotten for Buffalo, especially if Lehner misses extended time.

-- Evander Kane and Eichel had identical ice time: 21:58 each. Kane got an assist and had a goal waved off.

STARS 3, PENGUINS 0

-- Great debut for Antti Niemi, who managed a 37-save shutout. I still don't love the platoon situation, especially since I think the Stars' defense is still pretty spotty.

-- Not sure how healthy Jamie Benn truly is, but he managed a goal and almost had another. He won the Art Ross on two wonky hips last season, after all.

-- Speaking of (previously?) wonky hips, Alex Hemsky looked great. He got a goal and set the table for Mattias Janmark to score his first NHL tally. Hemsky's one of those guys who could be a real wild card for Dallas.

-- Phil Kessel didn't score, but he had his chances, with six SOG. I wonder if he needs some time to gel with Sidney Crosby, as it's possible they were telegraphing the whole Crosby be the QB, Phil being the WR thing (zero SOG for 87).

I kind of think Evgeni Malkin works better with Kessel stylistically - and Patric Hornqvist fits Crosby better - but we'll see how it goes.

-- I posited this on Twitter but got zero response, so I'll ask again: is Penguins vs. Stars the ideal Stanley Cup Final from an entertainment standpoint? Has to be at least a top five matchup, right?

WILD 5, AVALANCHE 4

-- Narrative after the first period: "The Avalanche flipped the script from last season."

Narrative after the game: "Yikes, Avalanche."

-- The game went from 4-1 Colorado to a 5-4 Minnesota lead in barely more than five minutes. Zach Parise managed a season-opening hat trick, including a GWG PPG.

-- Many believe that the Avalanche just have the wrong viewpoint, i.e. going with the whole "we'll allow more shots but supposedly limit quality chances" spiel that poorly run squads often roll with.

I mean, Patrick Roy and Joe Sakic probably get bungee cord-sized leashes in Colorado, right? How much of the primes of Nathan MacKinnon and Matt Duchene might be stunted in the process?

-- Quite a first game for Francois Beauchemin: three assists, +1 and two hits in 22:06 TOI.

JETS 6, BRUINS 2

-- Alexander Burmistrov made an impact in his return to the NHL, but I'm not focusing on the empty-netter.

How ridiculous is it that an illegal check to the head is just a minor penalty? Shouldn't that put you in the box for four minutes, minimum?

The fact that Burmistrov did it in a pretty scuzzy non-hockey way on Patrice Bergeron (a guy who put a scary run of head injuries behind him) just makes it all the more upsetting.

-- It definitely could be a rough season for the Bruins (though I wonder if they can at least be competitive if Zdeno Chara can get healthy), but some of their top guys are fun. David Pastrnak's interesting in deeper leagues.

-- Also getting his first goal to introduce himself: Nicolas Petan. Nikolaj Ehlers is the more exciting "Nick" in Winnipeg, overall.

-- Not sure what to expect from the Jets this season, other than a lot of goals.