After his Alexander Semin episode in the first period, Justin Williams put his full might into an act of war on Evgeni Malkin.

Watch the Washington Capitals forward grab Malkin by the neck from behind, and rip him down to the ice suplex style after a whistle, inviting others to pile on.

Williams received a two-minute minor for the vicious takedown, but might see the NHL's Department of Player Safety come knocking.

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Somewhere, the Edmonton Oilers are cringing.

Nail Yakupov scored his first goal with the St. Louis Blues on Thursday night, skating into the Minnesota Wild zone and firing a slap shot past goaltender Devan Dubnyk to give the Blues a 2-1 lead midway through the second period.

Yakupov was playing his second game for St. Louis after being traded by the Oilers last Friday for forward Zach Pochiro and a conditional third-round pick in 2017.

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For precautionary reasons, Buffalo Sabres winger Evander Kane has been taken to hospital for further evaluation after a violent crash into the boards in Thursday's game versus the Montreal Canadiens.

Chasing down a puck in the offensive zone, Kane was sent colliding side-first into the endboards at high speed when he lost his balance as a result of contact from Canadiens defender Alexei Emelin.

Kane's left forearm and wrist broke the contact, and were crunched at his side as a result of the impact. He was helped off the ice and taken down the tunnel.

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Fear goes out the window when adrenaline takes over.

The Washington Capitals dished out some payback after Pittsburgh Penguins grinder Tom Kuhnhackl hit Vezina Trophy winner Braden Holtby behind his net Thursday night, and the retribution came from an unlikely source.

Capitals forward Justin Williams thrust himself into the ensuing scrum, catching Pittsburgh tough guy Tom Sestito from behind with a couple of punches.

Kuhnhackl was given a minor for roughing Holtby. Here's a look at the hit that started the melee.

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The Pittsburgh Penguins held one more celebration for their title-winning season Thursday prior to their home opener, having captain Sidney Crosby carry the Stanley Cup out for the players to huddle around while watching the franchise's fourth championship banner being raised to the rafters.

Mike Sullivan is returning with a virtually unchanged roster, but as challenging as it's become to repeat as champions in the salary cap era, it has to be considered next to impossible if the Penguins don't have their captain in the lineup.

Crosby was diagnosed with a concussion just days before the start of the season, knocking considerable shine off the events of opening night.

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Shelved, but styling.

Eschewing clumsy and cumbersome crutches to protect his injured left ankle, Buffalo Sabres sophomore Jack Eichel is instead wheeling 'round on a scooter, and looking fresh as all hell doing it in a three-piece suit for opening night.

Tell us you noticed the Sabres sticker on the front.

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A trio of former Toronto Maple Leafs stars will be remembered forever in bronze form.

Statues of Dave Keon, Tim Horton, and Turk Broda were added to "Legends Row" in a ceremony Thursday evening.

The three additions were announced in January and later revealed to be part of the club's centennial celebrations, which will extend throughout the season.

Keon attended Thursday's festivities and posed with his new likeness.

Keon was estranged from the Maple Leafs family for decades before coming back into the fold in recent years. The four-time Stanley Cup-winning forward was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1986.

Horton played defense for the Maple Leafs from 1951 to 1970 and was inducted posthumously into the Hall in 1977, three years after he was killed in a car accident.

Broda tended goal for the Leafs for his entire NHL career from 1936 to 1952. He was a two-time Vezina Trophy winner who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1967.

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Patrik Laine isn't concerned with keeping the ridiculous pace set by Auston Matthews in the initial strides of the rookie scoring race.

When asked whether or not he needed five goals to top Matthews, who became the first player in history to score four in his NHL debut Wednesday in an overtime loss to the Ottawa Senators, Laine wisely imparted a team-first mentality.

"No, I need two points," he told TSN's Gary Lawless. "Two for the win."

Laine's more than welcomed comparisons with Matthews in the past, telling reporters plainly that he was the better prospect for the Maple Leafs in the lead-up to last summer's draft.

But as far as their NHL debuts, it's probably the right move, downplaying the comparison.

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The Florida Panthers opened their season Thursday by paying tribute to deceased Miami Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez.

Each Panthers players took the ice before the game wearing jerseys with Fernandez's name and No. 16 on the back. They also had No. 16 decals on their helmets for the home opener against the New Jersey Devils.

Several Marlins players were also on hand for the ceremony, including Dee Gordon and Adam Conley.

Fernandez had a major impact on the South Florida community before his death late last month in a boating accident. Following his passing, Panthers president of hockey operations Dale Tallon released the following statement:

"The Florida Panthers players, staff, and entire organization extend their most sincere condolences to the family of Jose Fernandez and the Miami Marlins organization. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Fernandez and Marlins families through this profoundly difficult time."

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Tim Murray isn't leaving Buffalo any time soon.

The Buffalo Sabres rewarded their general manager with a contract extension, the club announced Thursday.

Murray was hired in January 2014, two months after the firing of former GM Darcy Regier.

He's led a Sabres rebuild that's included low finishes, a pair of second overall picks, and several impactful trades.

Under Murray, the Sabres missed out on Aaron Ekblad and Connor McDavid but selected forwards Sam Reinhart and Jack Eichel in back-to-back drafts in 2014 and 2015. Murray took Alexander Nylander eighth overall in June.

He acquired goaltender Robin Lehner in a trade with his former employer, the Ottawa Senators in January 2015, and also added Evander Kane and Ryan O'Reilly in blockbuster deals with the Winnipeg Jets and Colorado Avalanche, respectively.

This past summer, Murray acquired blue-liner Dmitry Kulikov from the Florida Panthers and signed free-agent forward Kyle Okposo to a seven-year, $42-million deal.

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