from Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times,

The Blackhawks are playing like a hockey team without belief.

They’re still saying all the right things, at least when it comes to their on-ice performance. But in a 6-3 loss to the Hurricanes on Friday that extended the Hawks’ season-opening losing streak, they simply didn’t seem confident enough to turn the tide when things started going badly.

“Eight games in and we don’t have a win — it’s terrible,” Brandon Hagel said. “Early on, it’s like, ‘Let’s keep playing the same way. We’re going to get out of this. We’re going to get out of this.’ We’re still trying to do that, we’re still trying to stay positive... But obviously, the first win is in the back of everyone’s mind.”

After setting a league record by not leading once through their first six games, the Hawks have actually shown early jump and scored the first goal in each of their last two.

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from Jose M. Romero of the Arizona Republic,

Friday night found the Arizona Coyotes in an unfamiliar position this season — scoreless and tied through two periods with their best chance to win their first game of the season since a shootout loss at Buffalo on Oct. 16.

But John Carlson scored on a power play with 7:58 to play in the game, and Alex Ovechkin sealed the Washington Capitals' 2-0 win with an empty net goal in the final seconds. Prior to the first goal, the Coyotes had gone 5 for 5 on the penalty kill, but a holding penalty to Liam O'Brien gave the Capitals another man advantage, and they cashed it in.

Goaltender Karel Vejmelka gave the Coyotes a lift with his play. With the Coyotes unable to generate much offense putting up only 16 shots on goal for the game, Vejmelka and the penalty kill, until late, loomed large for the team against the Capitals in the Coyotes' third game of a six-game road trip.

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