The three-game sweep of the NHL starts in Toronto where the Maple Leafs debuted new head coach Peter Horachek and promptly lost, 6-2, to the Washington Capitals. The Leafs have now lost three straight and eight of their last 10 games.
“There’s always disappointment when we lose like that, but there were some good things too,” Horachek said. “We outchanced them, our possession numbers were 
better, we outshot them (33-26), but we gave up some poor timely goals. The shorthanded goal was bad, but their fourth goal was a backbreaker. Right after we scored our second goal we might have had some momentum on our side, and if you [take] their two goals, it’s 2-2, and we’re right in the game.”
All that may be true but the Caps were buzzing the entire night and never gave enough oxygen to the arena to permit the Leafs any real chance of sustaining pressure.
“There’s still a game to be played beyond the analytics and all the stats,” Horachek said. “We gave up goals that were untimely and unnecessary, and if we can eliminate those things we’ll be better off.”
Eric Fehr scored twice for the Caps in the win.
“It’s the way we used all five guys in the defensive zone to help break out the puck,” Fehr said. “We do a good job coming back and helping our defense find outlets. It really frustrates teams when they can’t sustain pressure and we can just get the puck up and out.”
In Pittsburgh, the visiting Boston Bruins burned the Penguins in extra time with a 3-2 win.
Patrice Bergeron scored his second goal of the game for the OT winner on a deflection that was reviewed for a high stick but eventually awarded.
“I thought it was inconclusive and they called it a good goal on the ice, so usually when that’s what happens, it’s hard to turn back. I was pretty confident it was below the crossbar,” Bergeron said. “At some point, it’s going to have to go our way, and tonight that was the case. And definitely, it wasn’t perfect by all means, but it was definitely a good effort and we found a way to get the big win.”
Boston has lost three straight heading into the match with the Pens.
“It wasn’t a perfect game, but I think the win was really important for us,” Bruins coach Claude Julien said. “You talk about ‘Where’s the confidence?’ Well, you have to win some games to get some confidence. So, it feels good to get that win in overtime.
“But by no means do we feel or think we’re out of the woods, but it’s a good start.”
Pittsburgh went 0-for-4 on the power play and Boston held Sidney Crosby off the goal scoresheet.
“Sid’s not going to score all the time” Penguins coach Mike Johnston said. “Maybe it’s [David] Perron who’s going to score. Maybe it’s [Steve] Downie who’s going to score. We do have to get more secondary scoring, for sure, throughout our lineup, and not to put it all on Sid and his responsibility to score, but our power play has to respond.
“We have to get goals like we were. At the beginning of the year, those goals, they separated from being a tie game to a win.”
In Calgary, the Flames hosted the Detroit Red Wings who were coming into the game having split two games in their western Canada trip. The Flames were unable to generate enough heat and lost 3-2 in regulation.
Henrik Zetterberg had a goal (10th) and an assist in his 800th NHL game.
“(Drew) Miller made sure I knew before the game,” Zetterberg said. “He just said, ‘It’s your 800th game, congratulations. I knew before. I knew it was close. I knew I was close getting there. It was nice to get a win.”
The win made the front end of the six-game trip a success for the Wings.
“It was a good trip,” coach Mike Babcock said. “It was 2-1 in Vancouver with two minutes left, and you give up the empty-net goals. I thought we played well in Vancouver. I thought we controlled a lot of that game and didn’t score, and our special teams weren’t as good as they should’ve been, but a good trip. Our team played well. We think we’re getting better. That to me is what it’s all about.”
Flames starting goalie Karri Ramo was injured midway through the second period on a collision high in the defensive zone with one of his defensemen, and left the game. Jonas Hiller came in as backup.
Without a good warm-up Hiller was slow on the game winner from Justin Abdelkader.
“It’s part of being the backup goalie,” Hiller said. “That’s what you’re there for, but it’s definitely not an easy situation. You’d rather to have a few shots and kind of find your way into the game than having a backdoor play and getting scored on. You kind of have to find a way. I thought I played pretty solid for the situation, but at the end, it’s still disappointing when you lose.”
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