Nick Leddy scored 2 minutes, 45 seconds into overtime and the Chicago Blackhawks improved to 6-0 — the best start in franchise history — with a 2-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday night.
After taking a cross-ice pass from Viktor Stalberg, Leddy fired from the left circle and beat Detroit goalie Jimmy Howard with a shot that slipped just under his glove.
Detroit’s Johan Franzen connected early in the third to tie the game at 1 and set up overtime.
Photo: Reuters
Duncan Keith scored a power-play goal in the first period for Chicago, and Corey Crawford finished with 29 saves in his fifth start in six games.
Howard, who has started all five of Detroit’s games, made 25 saves.
The Blackhawks started 5-0 in 1971-1972 — Hall of Famer Bobby Hull’s final season in Chicago — and matched it on Saturday night with a 3-2 win in Columbus.
SHARKS 4, CANUCKS 1
In San Jose, California, Joe Pavelski had two goals and Patrick Marleau scored again — though only once — as the Sharks remained undefeated.
Joe Thornton also scored for the Sharks, who improved to 5-0-0. Antti Niemi made 23 saves as coach Todd McLellan earned his 200th career victory.
Marleau scored two goals in each of the first four games of the season, becoming the first NHL player to pull off that trick since 1917.
Alexandre Burrows scored for the Canucks, who had a three-game unbeaten streak end. Cory Schneider also stopped 23 shots.
Ryan Clowe tied a Sharks record with eight penalties, all in the first two periods, and a career-high 35 penalty minutes. The game became feisty even before the drop of the puck as Clowe and Burrows got into it at center ice and it remained that way.
JETS 5, ISLANDERS 4, OT
In Winnipeg, Manitoba, Evander Kane scored 1:59 into overtime to give the Winnipeg Jets a come-from-behind victory.
Kane, who also had an assist, tapped the puck in past goalie Evgeni Nabokov after a rebound from a long Olli Jokinen shot.
Alexei Ponikarovsky, Bryan Little, Dustin Byfuglien and Alexander Burmistrov also scored for Winnipeg (3-1-1), who were down 4-2 midway through the third period. The Jets have now won three games in a row.
John Tavares had a goal and two assists for the Islanders (2-3-0). David Ullstrom, Matt Moulson and Mark Streit also scored for New York. Frans Nielsen had a pair of assists.
BLUES 5, WILD 4, OT
In St Louis, Missouri, Vladimir Sobotka scored from close range at 2:16 of overtime to give St Louis a victory.
St Louis are 5-1, their best start since winning seven of their first eight in 1997-1998. Coming off a 4-3 victory in Dallas on Saturday night, the Blues improved to 3-0 at home.
Minnesota’s Dany Heatley forced the overtime, tying it at 4 when he batted the puck out of the air with 4:08 left in regulation for his fourth goal of the season.
The Wild have lost three straight.
Chris Stewart, Barret Jackman, Wade Redden and Patrik Berglund also scored for St Louis, and Brian Elliott, getting his first home start, made 12 saves.
Zach Parise had two goals and an assist for Minnesota after also scoring twice in the Wild’s 5-3 loss in Detroit on Friday night. Mikko Koivu added a goal, and Niklas Backstrom stopped 32 shots.
CAPITALS 3, SABRES 2
In Washington, Alex Ovechkin scored his first goal of the season, and Washington became the last NHL team to get a win.
After a fruitless first week, Ovechkin found the net with a one-timer from the left circle on a power play with 14:49 remaining in the game. Joel Ward had a goal and an assist, John Erskine also scored, and Michal Neuvirth made 22 saves for the Capitals, who had opened with four consecutive losses for the first time since the 1993-1994 season.
Marcus Foligno and Tyler Ennis scored, and Ryan Miller made 27 saves for the Sabres, who have lost three straight after opening the season with a pair of wins.
PENGUINS 2, SENATORS 1, SO
In Ottawa, Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and James Neal scored in the shootout to give the Pittsburgh Penguins a victory against the Ottawa Senators. Neal also scored in regulation to help the Penguins snap a two-game skid.
Colin Greening scored a second-period goal for the Senators, and Jason Spezza and Kyle Turris beat Marc-Andre Fleury in the shootout. However, Milan Michalek was stopped with Ottawa’s first attempt.
Craig Anderson made 33 saves for the Senators, while Fleury stopped 31 shots.
In other NHL action, it was:
‧ Canadiens 4, Devils 3, OT
‧ Lightning 5, Flyers 1
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