They couldn’t hold the lead, but sealed the deal in Uncle Gary’s Super Fun Trick Shot Contest with a Forsberg-ian delight from Elias Pettersson.

A new start means new things, one of them being unafraid to win more than two games in a row, I suppose. The Canucks moved to 3-0-0 since bringing in Bruce Boudreau as they defeated the Winnipeg Jets 4-3 in UGSFTSC. Another fun trend going on right now is Canucks players bumping goal scoring slumps, this time it was Nils Hoglander potting a pair of first period goals to give the Canucks a 2-1 lead.

And Hoglander wasn’t just bringing the offence last night.

The only goal in the shootout came from Elias Pettersson, and it was an absolute beauty.

Also, how great is Vasily Podkolzin and Hoglander’s hug on the bench? Fun hockey is here and it’s glorious!

Love it.

The loss could be a costly one for the Jets as Blake Wheeler left the game in the third with an injury and did not return. Wheeler scored his first of the season, and had two assists last night.

Again, it’s not a perfect game by any stretch, but they were able to get the two points and overcome some defensive miscues that ended up in the back of the net. With solid goaltending from Demko and an offence that is starting to live up to its potential, if they can solve their penalty killing issues, there could be hope for the future. They’re still last in the NHL, and gave up one on three kills last night, but changing up who is doing the penalty killing is going to turn this around as the season goes on.

Next up is a stiff challenge to keep that Win Streak alive as the Carolina Hurricanes come to town. Carolina sit third in that vicious Metropolitan Division, and also currently riding a three game win streak. They’re a jaw-dropping 11-3-1 on the road so far this season, outscoring their opponents 41-21 in those 11 wins. We’ll have our game preview and thread tomorrow afternoon!

AROUND THE NHL

Alexis Lafreniere’s second period goal would be the difference as the New York Rangers beat the Buffalo Sabres 2-1 at MSG last night.

A late push from the Capitals in the third wasn’t enough to overcome a Penguins lead, as Pittsburgh defeated Washington 4-2. Brock McGinn may be hearing from DoPS after this hit to the head on Martin Fehervary.

You may recall Sidney Crosby throwing Fehervary into the boards a couple weeks ago, a play that went uncalled.

Yakov Trenin had the GWG as the Nashville Predators beat the New Jersey Devils 3-2. The game featured this outburst of violence from... Nico Hischier?

Andre Burakovsky had a pair as the Colorado Avalanche slammed the Detroit Red Wings 7-3 last night.

Arizona’s tank keeps rumbling through the desert, as they avoid wins like they do making rent and tax payments. This time they dropped a 3-1 decision to the league leading Florida Panthers.

The Philadelphia Flyers losing streak is over after 10 straight losses, with a 4-3 win in Vegas against the Golden Knights. The win was the first for interim head coach Mike Yeo after the team fired Alain Vigneault on Monday.

The NHL’s Board Of Governors meetings wrapped up yesterday, and Gary Bettman was front and center of it all. In addition to comically once again assuring everyone that there is no financial crisis in Arizona with the Coyotes, he also shifted the onus of NHL participation in the upcoming 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics onto the players themselves. With the COVID protocols for the games that could see players quarantined in China for up to three weeks, it’s really looking like they’re going to be giving it a pass again.

Bettman also announced there will likely be a modest $1 Million rise in the salary cap for next season.