Around the NHL: Hat tricks for everyone; defending champion Penguins are dazed
The NHL is back in full swing, so let's take a spin around the league for a look at some of the top on- and off-ice highlights from the opening days of the 2017-18 season:
Pittsburgh Penguins embarrassed in debut of Chicago Blackhawks ' reunion tour
If you mistook the score of the Pittsburgh-Chicago bout for some other sport when it hit the ticker, you get a pass.
Sidney Crosby and the Penguins fell victim to the Blackhawks on Thursday, falling 10-1 at United Center. USATSI
A day after Matt Murray rough opening-night outing against the St. Louis St. Louis Blues , the Pens goalie opened Thursday on the bench, taking a break as journeyman Antti Niemi -- Chicago's No. 1 during its run to the Stanley Cup in 2010 -- defended the net. And by the end of the night, Murray was back in action, surrendering six goals in a stunning 10-1 loss. Chicago got big marks from everyone, including Brandon Saad and Patrick Sharp , the headliners of their nostalgic offseason. And while the first week of the year is the best time for the defending champs to play their worst hockey, it can't feel good -- at any time, anywhere -- to give up double digits.
Hat tricks all around
Speaking of Saad, he was one of four players to score a hat trick in a season opener Wednesday or Thursday. That just doesn't happen. Literally. The last time it did was 100 years ago, when the NHL played its first season. But good for those four, right? And good, even more so, for the NHL to kick off the new year with a bang. Alex Ovechkin , Connor McDavid and Wayne Simmonds were the other three-goal scorers, and their performances didn't come without some pizzazz -- McDavid, in particular, looked otherworldly with his speed in Edmonton's 3-0 shutout of the Calgary Flames on Wednesday.
Jonathan Drouin starts on the right foot
There's a lot of pressure on Drouin, the Tampa Bay Lightning castoff, to be the guy for Montreal's post-Alexander Radulov offense, and he had a nice close to his debut with the Canadiens, getting one into the Buffalo Sabres ' net in a shootout to lift the team in its opener. It's more impressive considering that Buffalo, with a two-goal outing for Jason Pominville and some good looks from a newly paid Jack Eichel , actually looked better positioned to win its matchup with Montreal for much of the game.
Nashville isn't satisfied with its offense (yet)
This one's coming from off the ice, but even before the defending Western Conference champion Nashville Predators fell 4-3 to the Boston Bruins in their opener, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman pegged them as a team still in search of offensive help. Nashville inked former Penguins center Nick Bonino in free agency and also added winger Scott Hartnell , but the loss of James Neal to the Vegas Golden Knights could still be clouding the front office's expectations. Per Friedman, the Preds are "all in" and will be eyeing a deal that nets them some immediate help early on.
Blues had an offer on the table for Jaromir Jagr
Also from Friedman: The rumors of St. Louis taking a peek at Jagr before the 45-year-old forward joined the Flames were apparently true, as the Blues extended a one-year offer of roughly $850,000 to the longtime winger. The Vancouver Canucks , who put an inexplicable focus on investing in grizzled vets over the offseason, were also talking about Jagr before they added Thomas Vanek , according to Friedman.