5 things learned from Sept. 21 preseason games

Now that the 19-day, 110-game NHL preseason schedule has begun, it's time to take a closer look at the players, teams and stories that are making headlines in the weeks leading up to the start of the regular season Oct. 3.Here are five things we learned from the preseason games Friday:

Tavares excels in home debut with Maple Leafs

John Tavares put on a show for his new home fans at Scotiabank Arena.
Tavares, signed by the Toronto Maple Leafs as a free agent on July 1 after nine seasons with the New York Islanders, scored two goals in a 5-3 victory against the Buffalo Sabres. His goal 3:42 into the first period gave Toronto a 3-1 lead, and he scored into an empty net with 44 seconds remaining in the third period.

"It's quite the atmosphere for a preseason game," said Tavares, who also went 15-6 on face-offs. "A lot of fun to play in that atmosphere. ... The passion for this team in this building and this city is pretty special. It was fun to play in."
Tavares centered a line with Mitchell Marner on right wing. Zach Hyman started the game on left wing but left in the second period with what coach Mike Babcock called a hip pointer.
It was the second two-goal performance for Tavares in as many preseason games with the Maple Leafs. Tavares, who grew up in the Toronto suburb of Oakville, Ontario, scored twice in a 4-1 win against the Ottawa Senators at Kraft Hockeyville Canada in Lucan, Ontario, on Tuesday.
Toronto, which plays at Buffalo on Saturday, is 3-0-0 in the preseason.

Hurricanes off to best preseason start since move to Carolina

New coach Rod Brind'Amour's efforts to instill winning habits in the Carolina Hurricanes are off to a good start. Defenseman Jaccob Slavin scored a goal and had two assists in a 5-1 win against the Washington Capitals at PNC Arena. Carolina is 3-0-0 in the preseason for the first time since the franchise moved from Hartford in 1997 and has outscored opponents 15-3.
"The guys who are competing for jobs, the guys we want to see step up were really good. That's what you want to see," said Brind'Amour, who was captain of the Hurricanes in 2006 when they won the Stanley Cup for the only time in franchise history. "They're hungry and making a real case for themselves. That's great."
Goaltender Petr Mrazek, signed as a free agent on July 1, allowed one goal on 10 shots and has impressed Brind'Amour in his two appearances.
"He's looked good from Day One, and he looked good again tonight," Brind'Amour said. "Just real calm in there. The one goal he had zero chance on. It was a breakdown on our part."

Pulock making impression with Islanders

New York Islanders defenseman Ryan Pulock's most notable attribute is his big shot. He showed it off for new coach Barry Trotz by scoring a power-play goal 60 seconds into overtime to give the Islanders a 3-2 victory against the Philadelphia Flyers at PPL Center in Allentown, Pa.
Pulock, "shoots it as hard as anybody in the League right now," Trotz told Newsday.
Goaltender Robin Lehner, signed by the Islanders as a free agent on July 3, play the whole game and finished with 25 saves.
"It was good. I felt good, I got some work in to get back," said Lehner, who is competing with Thomas Greiss for the No. 1 job. "I still have things [to work on], for sure. It takes a little bit."

Wheeler shakes off rust in preseason debut with Jets

Blake Wheeler was one of 11 Winnipeg Jets who made his preseason debut against the Calgary Flames, and by the end of the night the 32-year-old forward looked like he was in midseason form.
Wheeler scored in the third period, then assisted on defenseman Dustin Byfuglien's second goal of the game 26 seconds into overtime to give the Jets a 4-3 win at Bell MTS Place.
"It was OK. It was the first game a lot of us had played in a long time. You could definitely see it," said Wheeler, Winnipeg's captain, who had an NHL career-high 91 points last season and signed a five-year, $41.25 million contract extension with the Jets on Sept. 4. "Some things to work on, some things to get better on. Ultimately, regardless of the situation, you gut one out, you'll take it."
Much is expected from the Jets this season after they had a franchise-record 114 points and advanced to the Western Conference Final. Wheeler said rallying to win after falling behind 3-1 was a good start.
"It's not always going to be pretty. It's a game that doesn't mean anything," he said. "But you start building those little things into your foundation, you want to try and win every time you're out. That was a good step."

Johnson impressive for Blues in shutout win

Chad Johnson continued his strong preseason play by making 20 saves to help the St. Louis Blues defeat the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-0 at Enterprise Center.
Johnson has allowed one goal on 36 shots in 100 minutes during the preseason.

"Preseason or regular season, it always feels good," he said of the shutout. "I thought the guys did a great job in front of me. We were the better team and we got what we deserved there."
The game marked the preseason debut of forward Vladimir Tarasenko, who had surgery on April 11 to repair a dislocated left shoulder. Tarasenko was credited with an assist when Patrick Maroon put home the rebound of his shot for a first-period power-play goal.
"He's obviously got a lethal shot," Maroon said of Tarasenko. "It's deadly. I don't think you even have to screen the goalie, his shot's so deadly."

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Thornton could make return for Sharks

Joe Thornton could be in the lineup for the San Jose Sharks when they host the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday. If so, it would be the first game of any type since tearing ligaments in his right knee during a game on Jan. 23. Coach Peter DeBoer indicated Friday that he would "like to get him in a game," and Thornton said he hoped it would be against Vegas.
Here is the full schedule for Saturday (all times ET)
Blue Jackets at Penguins, 3 p.m. (NHLN, ATTSN-PT)
Avalanche at Wild, 6 p.m. (NHLN, FS-N)
Bruins at Red Wings, 7 p.m.
Senators at Canadiens, 7 p.m. (RDS, TSN5)
Maple Leafs at Sabres, 7 p.m. (SN1, SN)
Rangers vs. Islanders at Bridgeport, Conn., (Webster Bank Arena), 7 p.m. (MSG+, MSG)
Predators at Lightning, 7 p.m.
Stars vs. Panthers, at Tulsa, Okla., (BOK Center) 8 p.m.
Canucks at Flames, 9 p.m. (NHLN, SN1, SN)
Ducks at Coyotes, 9 p.m.
Golden Knights at Sharks, 10 p.m.