Nashville Predators winger Eeli Tolvanen took only two shifts and logged just 1:18 in Sunday's 5-2 victory over Minnesota, leaving the ice with an upper-body injury after getting hit into the boards. The Predators are expected to announce an update on his status on Tuesday. Tolvanen has had a quiet start to the season, bagging just one point so far, but he was skating in the top six and this is a blow for Nashville's offense. The Predators have a light schedule this week with only two games, but they will take the ice four times next week and will need all the warm bodies they can get.
Nashville Predators forward Matt Duchene came alive on Sunday against Minnesota, picking up three assists in a 5-2 win. He had one power-play and two even-strength assists, helping Roman Josi, Ryan Johansen and Filip Forsberg to score. Duchene ended the night with a plus-two rating and added three shots and two penalty minutes to his stat line. The two-time All-Star has struggled over the past couple of seasons, and the start to 2021-22 hasn't gone very well for him either, but Duchene is logging heavy minutes in the top six and is surrounded by enough talent to become a consistent scorer again.
Nashville Predators defenseman Roman Josi had a sensational four-point game on Sunday, finishing a 5-2 road victory with a goal and three assists. He became the first blueliner in the league this season to register a three-point period. The Predators captain opened the game with a power-play goal and added two assists in the first period, one on the power play. He was plus-three for the contest with three shots and three blocks, logging 24:08. Josi boosted his points tally for the season to seven. He's been one of the most productive defensemen in the league for a while now and looks well on his way to having another nice campaign.
Vegas Golden Knights right wing Reilly Smith led the team with six shots and four scoring chances on Sunday. The problem was the execution. One of his shots has to go in at some point. It has been rough. The whole top line for the Golden Knights combined for 14 of the 42 shots Vegas fired on Ilya Sorokin on Sunday night. Little has gone right, and the consistency just has not been there. Vegas will look good for one night and then revert back to their old ways.
Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Robin Lehner dropped another tough decision as the Golden Knights mustered zero offense on Sunday night. The New York Islanders held Vegas to no goals, and while Lehner stopped 24 of 26 shots, that just was not enough. Vegas has scored just six goals in this four-game losing streak. Overall, they have averaged just two goals per game the entire season. It is difficult to win when the offense in front of a goalie is almost non-existent. The last time Lehner started five straight games was the playoffs, and six appears likely.
New York Islanders right wing Josh Bailey just needed a little kick in the rear as the forward enjoyed a nice weekend, issuing notice that the winger is indeed back. His goal and assist came on one shot and three scoring chances. Furthermore, the winger is now up to four points on the young season (one goal, three assists). It has been a struggle for the top line and offense, but gradually the timely scoring is starting to pick up. Finally, it is likely Bailey continues to play on the top line.
New York Islanders centerman Mathew Barzal had a long night playing mostly on the defensive side, but he still managed four shots on goal and three scoring chances. It was one of those chances that led to a goal. Barzal converted a Josh Bailey feed to make it 2-0 New York. That was more than enough to ensure victory. The center has had a few of these efforts where he generates a bunch of opportunities out of mostly nothing. Consistency would be nice, but Barzal now has three goals in six games on the young season.
New York Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin shut out the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday night. He accomplished something rather rare, too. The Russian goalie gave up zero goals over the weekend. He also went from below .500 to above .500 in two days. Sorokin made a whopping 42 saves versus Vegas. It was the second period that got everyone talking. The goaltender stopped all eight high-danger chances for Vegas. Sorokin also kept Vegas from tying the game by allowing New York to score the insurance goal late in the third period. Sorokin and New York are back in solid form defensively.
San Jose Sharks defenseman Brent Burns picked up his fourth assist of the season in Sunday's 4-3 loss to the Bruins, combining with Logan Couture to get Timo Meier on the scoreboard. He logged nearly 28 minutes of action and had a busy outing with three shots and four blocks. Burns had a shocker last season with 29 points in 56 games, leaving many fantasy managers disappointed. The early signs this season are positive, although San Jose's 4-1-0 start looks like an overachievement and there could be tougher times coming real soon for Burns and his teammates.
Boston Bruins goaltender Linus Ullmark made it two wins in two appearances for himself on Sunday, stopping 23 shots in a 4-3 victory over San Jose. The Bruins rushed to a 4-1 lead but things go a bit wobbly in the third period. Ullmark gave up two goals on 10 shots in the final frame but managed to hang on for the victory. The 28-year-old started life in the Bruins crease on Friday with a 4-1 win over Buffalo. He and Jeremy Swayman have both made two starts so far, with the goalie situation in Boston looking fluid early in the campaign. The team starts next week with a back-to-back set, so both netminders should get action.
