Michael Nylander scored on a penalty shot
and added two assists, as Washington handed Vancouver its first loss of the
young campaign, 5-1, in a bout at the Verizon Center.
Thomas Vanek scored twice and the Buffalo
Sabres handed the New York Rangers their first defeat of the season, 3-1, at
Madison Square Garden. The Rangers started the season 5-0, equaling the
1983-84 squad for the best start in franchise history. New York was vying
for the first 6-0 start to a season in club history, but the Sabres had other
ideas. Ryan Miller stopped 19-of-20 shots for the Sabres, who won their
third straight to start their campaign. Ales Kotalik also scored for Buffalo,
which rallied from an early 1-0 deficit with three unanswered scores. Scott
Gomez had the lone tally for the Rangers. Henrik Lundqvist had 16 saves for
New York.