The Chicago Blackhawks dampened the Los Angeles Kings' celebrations in their NHL opener on Sunday.
The Blackhawks silenced the otherwise deafening home crowd with three goals in the opening period on their way to a 5-2 win against the defending Stanley Cup champions.
Marian Hossa scored two of them - one in the first period and the sealer - as the Blackhawks put the 113-day lockout to bed and started the season on a high.
Beaten Stanley Cup finalists the New Jersey Devils started their season in the best possible manner with a 2-1 win over the New York Islanders.
David Clarkson's goal eight minutes and 17 seconds into the third period broke the deadlock for the Devils.
The Boston Bruins edged the New York Rangers 3-1 with Milan Lucic and Daniel Paille on target for last season's Northeast Division winners.
Tuukka Rask stopped 20 shots for the Bruins in his first game as goaltender after two-time Vezina Trophy winner Tim Thomas decided to take the season off.
The St Louis Blues smashed six unanswered goals past the Detroit Red Wings with rookie Vladimir Tarasenko netting a pair on debut.
Erik Karlsson finished with a goal and an assist in the Ottawa Senators' 4-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets to spoil their home opener.
Martin Louis and Eric Brewer both had doubles in the Tampa Bay Lightning's 6-3 win over the Washington Capitals and the Toronto Maple Leafs edged the Montreal Canadiens 2-1.
Columbus Blue Jackets scored a 3-2 win over the Nashville Predators and the Dallas Stars edged the Phoenix Coyotes 4-3 thanks to Jaromir Jagr's two goals.
Jonathan Huberdeau scored with his first shot in the NHL for the Florida Panthers, who saw off the Carolina Hurricanes 5-1 following an early goal flurry.
The Minnesota Wild were too good for the Colorado Avalanche in a 4-2 victory, the Pittsburgh Penguins downed the Philadelphia Flyers 3-1 and the Anaheim Ducks powered past the Vancouver Canucks 7-3 thanks to a four-goal second period.