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SPORTS Friday 5 OctOber 2018

Ovechkin, champion Capitals rout Bruins 7-0 in season opener

By The Associated Press without Tom Wilson. Wash-
WASHINGTON (AP) — Alex ington's top-line right wing-
Ovechkin and the Stanley er began his 20-game sus-
Cup champion Washing- pension for another illegal
ton Capitals opened their check to the head of an
title defense with a 7-0 opponent in a preseason
thrashing of the Boston Bru- game.
ins on Wednesday night. Ovechkin scored one of
After watching the fran- four power-play goals,
chise's first Stanley Cup ban- Kuznetsov scored his sec-
ner ascend to the rafters, ond on the power play and
T.J. Oshie opened the scor- John Carlson beat Boston
ing just 24 seconds in, and backup Jaroslav Halak on
Evgeny Kuznetsov scored a 5-on-3 advantage.
the first of his two goals 1 Newcomer Nic Dowd
1/2 minutes later to get the joined the fun with a spin-
rout off to a fast start. It was ning back-hander, and
the fastest first two goals Cup-clinching goal-scorer
by a defending champion Lars Eller added the excla-
in a season opener in NHL mation point with the sev-
history — and it was just the enth of the night.
beginning. MAPLE LEAFS 3, CANADIENS
By midway through the 2, OT
second period, the Capi- TORONTO (AP) — Auston
tals chased goalie Tuukka Matthews scored his sec-
Rask with five goals on 19 ond goal of the game in
shots and ignited chants overtime, John Tavares
of "Back-to-back! Back- scored his first goal for To-
to-back!" from the fired- ronto and the Maple Leafs
up crowd. Braden Holtby beat Montreal in the open- Washington Capitals players watch the Stanley Cup championship banner during a banner-rais-
stopped all 25 shots he er for both teams. ing ceremony before the team's NHL hockey game against the Boston Bruins, Wednesday, Oct.
faced to improve to 15-2 Matthews took a feed from 3, 2018, in Washington.
with four shutouts against Patrick Marleau and beat Associated Press
the Bruins. goalie Carey Price 1:01 into
The emotional banner cer- the extra period. Canadiens' history to score Silfverberg had three assists Tyler Motte also scored for
emony featured montages Frederik Andersen stopped a point. and Carter Rowney scored Vancouver. Jacob Mark-
from the Capitals' play- 34 shots, and Nazem Kadri DUCKS 5, SHARKS 2 an empty-net goal for Ana- strom stopped 33 shots.
off run and ensuing cel- had two assists for the Ma- SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — heim. Matthew Tkachuk and
ebrations and a roar when ple Leafs. John Gibson made 31 Evander Kane and Tomas Sean Monahan had goals
Ovechkin carried the fresh- Artturi Lehkonen and An- saves, Brandon Montour Hertl scored for the Sharks for the Flames, and Mike
ly engraved Cup onto the drew Shaw scored for Mon- scored the tiebreaking but Martin Jones allowed Smith finished with 18 saves.
ice and skated a lap with treal, and Price made 23 goal with 11:58 to play and four goals on the first 13 Pettersson opened the
it. Minutes after Ovechkin saves. Max Domi, the son the Anaheim Ducks spoiled shots he faced to take the scoring with 6:12 left in the
kissed the Cup and put it of former Leafs tough guy Erik Karlsson's San Jose de- loss. Jones finished with 10 first period, picking up the
back in its box, he and his Tie Domi, had two assists in but. saves. puck in the neutral zone,
teammates blew away any his first game for the Cana- Rickard Rakell added a CANUCkS 5, FLAMES 2 springing into the Calgary
concern about an emo- diens. goal and two assists, Max VANCOUVER, British Co- end with teammate Derrick
tional letdown and began Montreal's Jesperi Kotkani- Comtois scored on his lumbia (AP) — Rookie Elias Pouliot on a 2-on-1. Petter-
making a statement that emi, the first NHL player opening shift in the NHL Pettersson scored on his first son kept the puck and fired
they want to win it back. born in the 2000s, picked and Adam Henrique also shot in his first NHL game, a wrist shot into the top of
In Todd Reirden's first game up an assist. had a goal in the first game and Vancouver beat Cal- the net.
as coach, the Capitals The Finn, who turned 18 for the Ducks since getting gary. The goal brought chants
beat the Bruins for the 13th in July, also became the swept in the first round by Nikolay Goldobin, Brendan of "Petter-sson" from the
consecutive time, this time second-youngest player in San Jose last spring. Jakob Leipsic, Jake Virtanen and crowd.q