Red Wings' celebrations cut short
Reuters, Detroit
The Red Wings were celebrating before the game as they raised their championship banner, but they were not too happy after as they conceded two third-period goals to tumble 3-2 to the Montreal Canadiens in NHL action Thursday.
Montreal won in Detroit for the first time in a decade. Saku Koivu and Andrei Markov scored for the visitors in the third, putting the Canadiens up 3-1; Andreas Dackell got Montreal's other goal.
Pavel Datsyuk made it close with a goal at 13:37 of the final frame, but the Wings would get no more.
Brendan Shanahan opened the scoring for Detroit early in the first period. Detroit could have used recently retired netminder Dominik Hasek -- who attended the ceremony in a suit -- as Montreal's three goals came on just 14 shots.
Newcomer Curtis Joseph took the loss.
Jeff Hackett, the backup to NHL MVP Jose Theodore, notched the win with 33 stops. Detroit is now 2-2.
In Philadelphia, the Flyers remained unbeaten after four games (2-0-2), though they had to settle for a 3-3 tie with the New York Islanders after blowing a 3-1 second-period lead.
Todd Fedoruk, Michal Handzus and Jeremy Roenick tallied to put the hosts up by two.
New York's Mark Parrish made it close 11 minutes into the final period and then Brad Isbister knotted it for the Isles with just over two minutes remaining.
The tie was still something to celebrate in Philadelphia, as the Islanders had won all three games there last season.
In Buffalo, Eric Lindros got a pair of power play goals less than half a minute apart late in the opening period but it took a Pavel Bure tally with just under nine minutes to play to enable the New York Rangers to escape with a 4-4 tie against the Sabres. Bobby Holik got the other New York goal.
The Sabres did all their scoring in the second stanza, with Miro Satan counting twice and Chris Gratton and Tim Connolly getting singles.
In Raleigh, North Carolina, Washington netminder Olie Kolzig was the difference in a 2-1 Capitals victory, their third straight.
Kolzig turned aside all 21 shots he faced in the opening stanza before veteran Ron Francis beat him five minutes into the second; that was all the Hurricanes would get.
Peter Bondra and Jaromir Jagr tallied for Washington later in the period, with Robert Lang assisting on both.
The Capitals are in the midst of a season-high eight-game road trip.
In Chicago, the Blackhawks failed to score despite firing 17 first-period shots at Florida's Roberto Luongo, but they more than made up for it with a three-goal second frame as they pasted the Panthers 4-1.
Defenseman Phil Housley got the second Chicago goal, which proved to be the game-winner.
Chicago was a league-best 28-7-5-1at home last season and is undefeated in two games at the United Center this campaign.
In Los Angeles, veterans Adam Foote, Peter Forsberg and Joe Sakic netted third-period goals to lead the Colorado Avalanche to an easy 4-1 win over the Kings.
Forsberg also got Colorado's opening score, and assisted on Sakic's as well.
Eric Belanger notched the Kings' only goal, his third of the season.
It was Los Angeles's first loss after three straight wins.