The three-game sweep of the NHL starts in Columbus where the Blue Jackets continue to struggle to find positive motion.
The Vancouver Canucks survived Tuesday night and won, 5-3, over the Jackets.
Henrik Sedin scored twice and Brandon Sutter, Daniel Sedin and Jannik Hansen added goals.
“With that line, it seems like we’re going to have to skate guys through,” Canucks coach Willie Desjardins said of the Sedins and Hansen. “Guys seem to have big games then the line seems to tail off.”
Jacob Markstrom made 42 saves to get the win.
“It was a great win for us,” Markstrom said. “It really showed character in the third being down. Coming back in regulation is huge, something we’ve been missing earlier in the season.”
Cam Atkinson scored a shorthanded goal early in the third to give the Blue Jackets the lead, 3-2, but they could not hold it.
“I thought we were playing very well,” Columbus coach John Tortorella said. “We had two power-play goals. We scored a shorthanded goal to go up 3-2, working, forechecking, creating chance after chance, but we just find a way to lose.
“Their goals were just freebies. We worked hard to go ahead 3-2, then we gave them freebies. It was much too easy for them to score and I’ll leave it at that.”
Buffalo rookie Jack Eichel scored and had two points in the Sabres 4-1 road win over the Tampa Bay Lightning.
“It’s huge for us. … We’ve been on the cusp of beating [the Lightning] a few times and haven’t been able to put them away,” Eichel said. “It’s great to beat them and build some confidence off of this game.”
The Sabres improved to 7-8-0 and the Bolts fell to 7-8-2.
“At practice, we focused on some things and talked about some things we weren’t doing that made us successful last year,” Tampa Bay’s Steve Stamkos said. “And for the most part, I thought we did most of that tonight; it just still is not going in. Their goalie probably made the save of the last five, maybe ten years on [Kucherov].”
Andrei Vasilevskiy had 23 saves in the loss. Chad Johnson picked up the win with 30 saves.
“We need to stick to our game plan and keep working,” Lightning forward Ryan Callahan said. “Get pucks there, get bodies there. I thought we did a little more in the third, got some more opportunities, but that’s just been the message the whole time.”
In Dallas, third period goals from PA Parenteau and Jake Gardiner sent the Toronto Maple Leafs past the Stars, 3-2.
“Yeah, I think (folding under pressure) was kind of our M.O. last year,” Gardiner said. “That’s not our team this year. We’re going to keep competing until the end and never give up.”
Peter Holland also scored for the Leafs.
“Well, I would say we didn’t have a very good second period. We had a very good first and I thought we had a good third; we didn’t have a very good second,” Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock said. “Special teams were good, and we stuck with it and found a way to get a win, so good for us.”
Patrick Sharp and Vernon Fiddler scored for Dallas.
“It’s a tough one,” Stars coach Lindy Ruff said. “They got a couple bounces. All our good chances didn’t go in, and a couple that probably shouldn’t, went in. That was the game.”
James Reimer made 36 saves for the win; Antti Niemi had 27 saves in the loss.
“He was good,” Ruff said of Niemi. “I thought both goaltenders made big saves. I thought Antti made four really good saves that kept the game where it was.”
The Leafs won the game in the third when they outplayed the Stars across the ice.
“It’s unacceptable,” Dallas’ Jason Demers said of the third period. “I think we came together as a team and decided this year that stuff like that wasn’t going to happen. You can call it what you like, but that’s just giving away two points. We were in full control going into the third, and that’s something we can’t do anymore.”
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