NHL Roundup : Capitals, Making Some Earlier Gains, Win, 8-2

The Washington Capitals have become so accustomed to poor starts that they have quit worrying about them. They need five games just to get warmed up.

In each of the last three seasons, it has been a case of starting slowly and finishing fast. In each, the Capitals have accumulated more than 100 points despite poor beginnings. Three years ago, they opened at 0-7. The next year, it was 3-3-1, and last season, when they finished with the third best record in the league, it was 2-4-1.

So, nobody was concerned when they began this season with a 1-4 record. However, maybe the Capitals are hitting their stride sooner this time.

With former King defenseman Larry Murphy scoring twice and Bob Mason turning in another outstanding job in the nets, the Capitals crushed Minnesota, 8-2, Friday night at Landover, Md.

The Capitals, in their most impressive performance of the season, ended Minnesota’s three-game winning streak, extended their own modest unbeaten string to three games and improved their record to 3-4-1.

“It seems to take us five games before we realize that we must work in order to win,” said Murphy, who also had an assist. “We were really complacent in the early games. It was as if we were in cruise control. I think we are finally ready to play.”

The North Stars’ Keith Acton scored on his team’s first shot at Mason, but the former U.S. Olympic goalie stopped 35 of the next 36 shots.

Meanwhile, the Capitals jumped all over rookie goalie Kari Takko. In 124 minutes of his first three NHL games, Takko, an import from Finland, had yielded only one goal. But the Capitals scored three times in the first period, and Murphy scored two minutes into the second period to turn the game into a rout.

Mason, who opened the season in the minors, became the first Washington goaltender this season to yield fewer than four goals in a game.

Gaetan Duchesne also had two goals for the Capitals, who jumped from sixth to fourth in the Patrick Division.

Hartford 5, Buffalo 4--Gil Perreault, the scoring star of the Sabres, must be wondering why he let Coach Scotty Bowman talk him out of retiring after last season. Perreault seems to be the only solid performer on a dismal team.

In this game at Buffalo, the stumbling Sabres (1-5-2) dropped into the cellar in the Adams Division. The latest loss made it difficult for Perreault, 35, to enjoy another milestone. With his fifth goal of the young season and 508th of his career, Perreault moved into 11th place on the all-time goal-scoring list.

The smooth-skating Perreault, currently in his 17th NHL season, grew up with Jean Beliveau, the former Montreal great, as his idol. He has now passed his idol.

Perreault tipped in a shot by John Tucker at 7:21 of the third period to cut the Hartford lead to one, but the Sabres couldn’t get a tying goal.

Edmonton 6, Boston 2--A record falls almost every time Wayne Gretzky gets his stick on the puck. The magnificent scoring machine of the Oilers had a record 38th hat trick in this game at Edmonton.

Besides breaking a tie with ailing Mike Bossy of the New York Islanders for the most career hat tricks, Gretzky had an assist, giving him 874 and fourth place on the all-time list. He needs just 11 goals to reach 500 in his eighth NHL season.

For the first time in several years, Gretzky is being challenged in the scoring race. He has 26 points and leads Pittsburgh’s talented Mario Lemieux by five points. Gretzky has played one more game than Lemieux.

The Oilers are 4-0 at home but only 5-4 overall despite Gretzky’s fast start.

Detroit 1, St. Louis 1--The Blues scored midway through the first period at Detroit, but young goaltender Sam St. Laurent, making his first start for the Red Wings, shut out St. Louis the rest of the way.

It was Detroit Coach Jacques Demers’ first game against his old team since he coached the Blues within a victory of reaching the final round of the Stanley Cup.

He earned the tie when Steve Yzerman scored his fourth goal of the season on a power play later in the period.

Winnipeg 5, Calgary 2--The Jets spotted the Flames two early goals at Winnipeg, then stormed back.

Winnipeg scored twice in the second period to get even. Brian Mullen’s power-play goal three minutes into the final period broke the tie, and the Jets went on to score two more goals in the final 30 seconds.

Until Mullen’s third goal of the season, the Jets had converted only 3 of 29 power-play opportunities.

Rookie Pokey Reddick settled down after a shaky start to make 27 saves for the Jets.

Vancouver 2, Chicago 2--Rick Sutter, acquired from Philadelphia in the off-season, scored his first goal for Vancouver in the second period to give the Canucks the tie at Vancouver. Chicago, winless in its last six games, had taken a 2-1 lead on a power-play goal by Dennis Savard just three minutes earlier.