Hockey Today - Monday, October 22
ASSOCIATED PRESS
SCOREBOARD
Monday, Oct. 22
San Jose at Calgary (9 p.m. EDT). The Flames have earned points in five straight games (4-0-1) and have begun a season-high seven-game homestand with two straight wins.
Oddsmakers have the Flames listed at -125 at home with the total set at 5.
STARS Sunday
-Ryan Kesler and Curtis Sanford, Canucks. Kesler scored two goals and Sanford made 35 saves in his first start of the season to lead Vancouver to a 4-1 victory over Columbus.
-Mikko Koivu, Wild, scored with 3:04 remaining to help Minnesota beat Colorado 3-2.
WILD START
Minnesota beat Colorado 3-2 on Sunday night for their seventh win in the first eight games. The Wild are off to their best start (7-0-1) in franchise history and is the only team in the NHL that has yet to lose a game in regulation.
POWERLESS
Columbus only scored one goal despite having six power-play chances and finished 1 for 10 in their 4-1 loss to Vancouver on Sunday. The Blue Jackets outshot the Canucks 20-0 during one lengthy span and 14-0 in the second period.
SPEAKING
''It's good for the team and it's good for our self confidence for the rest of the year. But still, it's just eight games.'' - Mikko Koivu after scoring the game winner in Minnesota's 3-2 win over Colorado on Sunday night. The Wild are off to their best start (7-0-1) in franchise history and is the only team in the NHL that has yet to lose a game in regulation.
Monday's key NHL matchup notes
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Boston Bruins at Montreal Canadiens
Tim Thomas allowed just two goals on 63 shots in Boston's previous two games and owns a 1.26 goals-against average in four contests. The Bruins have allowed two or fewer goals in all but two of their seven games so far this season and are allowing an average of just 2.14 per contest.
Cristobal Huet stopped 25 shots and owns a 2.14 GAA in five starts this season. He is 5-2 with a 2.04 GAA in eight career starts against the Bruins.
San Jose Sharks at Calgary Flames
Evgeni Nabokov stopped 22 shots Saturday for his 35th career shutout and first this season. He has two shutouts against the Flames, against whom he's 9-7-0 with two ties and a 2.25 goals-against average in 19 career games.
The Sharks won three of four games against the Flames last season, but San Jose is just 1-6-0 with one tie in eight trips to Calgary since 2002-03.
Vancouver Canucks at Carolina Hurricanes
Justin Williams leads the Hurricanes with 11 points, and has three goals and six assists during a five-game point streak. He has a goal and four assists in four career games against the Canucks.
Center Eric Staal, who added his team-leading sixth goal, has a goal and an assist in two career games against Vancouver.
Carolina goaltender Cam Ward rested against the Flyers after going 4-0-2 with a 1.97 GAA in his first six games of the season. Ward made 21 saves in last year's loss to the Canucks - his only career game against them.