Friday’s games
Edinburgh 6, Lisbon 2 – In their first game against each other since being traded for each other straight up, Claude Giroux got the better of John Tavares. By a long shot. Giroux haunted his old team and general manager with 2 goals and 2 assists, working particularly well with winger Rick Nash and defensemen Gurkan Cetinkaya and Luke Schenn. All four had multi-point games. Lisbon got themselves into penalty trouble early in the game and gave up two power play goals in the process. Late in the game, Brandon Dubinsky found lineman Marc Peninou alone in the slot and fed him a pass that the rookie converted into his first EURO goal. Peninou had time to look up and fire a wrist shot past goalie Kari Ramo and into the far side of the net.
Belfast 6, Paris 5 – Alexander Ovechkin scored his first goal as a Belfast Giant, getting an assist from Sidney Crosby, but in a game filled with goals, Mikko Lehtonen’s was the most important. The young Finn’s first of the year came in the third period and made the score 6-3. Goalies Tuukka Rask of Paris and Jonathan Quick of Belfast are glad that game is over. P.K. Subban had a great game for the Giants, getting 2 assists, blocking 4 shots and delivering 8 hits.
Prague 5, Munich 4 (OT) – Ryan Getzlaf and Jason Spezza pulled the Prague Wolf Pack to a win in what looked like it was going to be the team’s first loss of the season. With Munich ahead 4-1 in the third period, Spezza got a rally going by scoring his third goal of the season and Prague was able to tie the game and send it into overtime, where Getzlaf won it. Getzlaf and Bryan Little scored 3 points each for Prague, while Dany Heatley had 2 goals and 1 assist for the Dire Wolf.
London 4, Gothenburg 1 – London displayed a well-balanced, team game in dominating the Devils. Jimmie Ericsson has 2 assists and 8 other London players scored one point in the victory. London outshot Gothenburg 35-21 and connected on 3 of 5 power play attempts.
Dublin 3, Stockholm 2 (OT) – Dublin scored two power play goals in the third period to erase a 2-0 deficit and Ryan Kesler won the game in overtime by slamming home a rebound of an Evander Kane shot. Mike Green played well for Stockholm, getting an assist, 2 hits and 4 blocked shots, and he’ll have to keep that level of play up because fellow blueliner Zach Bogosian is out with a concussion. Bogosian joins another Stockholm defenseman – Olli Maatta – on the injured list.
Madrid 3, Bratislava 2 (shootout) – Visiting Madrid outshot Bratislava in every period and deserved the 2 points they got in a shootout. Sean Couturier tied the game in the second period with his first goal of the year. Gabriel Landeskog and Derek Stepan of Madrid gave Bratislava’s defense all they could handle, combining for 13 shots on goal.
