UNDATED (AP) — For the Dallas Stars, the wait was worth it.
Joe Pavelski and Alexander Radulov combined for seven points and the Stars finally opened their season by blowing out the Predators, 7-0.
The Stars scored five times in the second period, three on power plays and once on Esa Lindell’s short-handed tally. Pavelski had four points in the rout, including a pair of power-play goals.
Radulov delivered two goals and an assist while the Stars played in front of 4,200 fans, their first crowd since March.
Anton Khudobin stopped 34 shots in his first season-opening start, an assignment delayed after the Stars had to have four games postponed by a team COVID-19 outbreak.
Elsewhere on NHL ice:
— The Penguins came back from a 3-1 deficit before Kris Letang notched the deciding shootout tally in a 4-3 win over the Rangers. Bryan Rust and Jared McCann collected their first goals of the season to help Tristan Jarry get his first win of the campaign.
— Jakub Vrana had a goal and an assist and Vitek Vanecek made 24 saves through overtime before the Capitals finished off a 4-3 shootout win over the Sabres. Nicklas Backstrom and Nic Dowd also scored in regulation for the Capitals, who won the first of four games they must play without Alex Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Dmitry Orlov and goaltender Ilya Samsonov because of pandemic protocols.
— The Avalanche pulled out a 3-2 win over the Ducks on Gabriel Landeskog’s goal 1:38 into overtime. Mikko Rantanen extended his goal-scoring streak to four games, Joonas Donskoi also scored to back Philipp Grubauer’s 36-save victory.
— Zach Parise scored his first goal of the season to break a second-period tie and spark the Wild’s 4-1 verdict over the Sharks. Joel Eriksson Ek had an early goal for the Wild against former teammate Devan Dubnyk, who made 25 saves for the Sharks on the Minnesota ice he called home for the previous six years.
— The Blackhawks earned their first win of the season as Patrick Kane furnished a goal and an assist in a 4-1 decision over the Red Wings. Andrew Shaw, Calvin de Haan and Mattias Janmark also scored for Chicago in its home opener after beginning the season with a four-game trip.
— Conor Garland had a goal and an assist and Darcy Kuemper stopped 29 shots for the Coyotes in a 5-2 downing of the Golden Knights. The Coyotes bounced back from a drubbing two nights earlier in Vegas with one of their best games of the early season, sending the Knights to their first loss.
— John Tavares broke a tie on a power play midway through the third period to help the Maple Leafs beat the Oilers 4-2. Adam Brooks scored his first NHL goal, Jimmy Vesey and Mitch Marner added goals and Frederik Andersen made 30 saves in Toronto’s fourth win in six games.
