WASHINGTON: Washington's 10-season run of winning its NHL home opener was ended on Tuesday as the Winnipeg Jets beat the Capitals 4-2.
Two games and two losses into the lockout-shortened season — and new Washington boss Adam Oates' NHL head coaching career — star Alex Ovechkin doesn't have a goal, the Capitals have been outscored 10-5, and their opponents are 5 for 12 on power plays.
Winnipeg's Evander Kane and Blake Wheeler each provided a goal and an assist, as the Jets — who had only scored twice in 137 minutes this season — suddenly scored two in four minutes in the first period.
Unlike the Capitals, the New Jersey Devils did win their home opener, beating the winless Philadelphia Flyers 3-0.
Veteran goalie Martin Brodeur made 24 saves for his 120th NHL shutout while Ilya Kovalchuk scored on a short-handed penalty shot.
The Flyers dropped to 0-3, matching their worst start since they also lost their first three games in the lockout-shortened 1995 season. Philadelphia rebounded that year to win the Atlantic Division, and the Devils won their first Stanley Cup championship that season, with Brodeur in goal. Brodeur was the difference this time in recording his 10th shutout against Philadelphia. He was outstanding in the first period, stopping nine shots.
The Tampa Bay Lightning won 4-1 at the Carolina Hurricanes, with Keith Aulie scoring the momentum-shifting goal.
Tom Pyatt and Cory Conacher scored early goals for the Lightning, which pulled away with two goals in the third period.
The Hurricanes have started a much-anticipated season with two losses and have been outscored by a combined 9-2. Carolina has dropped four straight home openers.
The Montreal Canadiens had a 4-1 home win over the Florida Panthers, with Andrei Markov scoring twice — his first goals in two season — and Alex Galchenyuk netting the first of his NHL career.
Markov had played only 17 games since he last scored on Nov. 9, 2010 due to two successive surgeries on the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. Both his goals came on power plays.
Dallas' Michael Ryder scored both goals as the Stars won 2-1 at the Detroit Red Wings, with Detroit goalie Kari Lehtonen coming within 3.4 seconds of a shutout.
Lehtonen made 39 saves, but allowed Damien Brunner's first career goal in the final seconds.
The Chicago Blackhawks hung on to win their home opener, edging the St. Louis Blues 3-2.
Patrick Kane, Brent Seabrook and Viktor Stalberg gave Chicago a 3-0 lead by early in the fourth quarter, but the Blues got back into the contest and Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawfoed — who made 32 saves — had to be sharp to preserve the win.
The Nashville Predators earned their first win of the new season with a 3-1 victory at the Minnesota Wild.
Martin Erat scored for Nashville with 8:15 left when Minnesota goalie Niklas Backstrom couldn't clear the puck cleanly.
The Predators, who lost in a shootout in their previous two games, started a franchise-record-tying, seven-game trip with a strong finish.
The Colorado Avalanche rallied for a 3-1 home win over the Los Angeles Kings, with Gabriel Landeskog and David Jones scoring 1:35 apart in the final period.
The Edmonton Oilers were another team to suffer defeat in their home opener, beaten 6-3 by the San Jose Sharks.
Patrick Marleau and Logan Couture each had two goals and an assist for the Sharks.
