Whalers Swim, Nordiques Sink: Hartford Keeps Rolling While Quebec Searches for Answers

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In a contest that could only be described as the hockey equivalent of an awkward family reunion, the Hartford Whalers schooled their hapless division rivals, the Quebec Nordiques, with a 4-3 victory that saw the Whalers remain perched atop the Stastny Division while the Nordiques continued their impressive bid for last-place supremacy.

The Whalers wasted no time, with Alex Pietrangelo lighting the lamp just two minutes in, setting the tone like a dad scoring on his kids in backyard shinny. Mark Stone then decided one goal wasn’t enough and grabbed two in the first period, leaving the Nordiques looking as lost as a defenseman caught up ice on a line change. By the end of the first, it was 3-0, Whalers, and the Nordiques were already questioning their life choices.

The Nordiques, in a desperate attempt to appear competitive, managed to scrape together a couple of goals in the second period. Jalen Chatfield broke their silence, and Patrick Maroon added a power-play tally, perhaps motivated by the Nordiques’ unofficial motto, "Better Late Than Never."

Hartford’s Matthew Tkachuk wasn’t having any of it, though, restoring the Whalers' two-goal cushion with a laser shot that could’ve doubled as a warning to never leave him unguarded. The Nordiques did show some backbone in the third period with a power-play goal from Jack McBain, but it turned out to be nothing more than a consolation prize on this carnival ride of a game.

Jacob Markstrom got the win for the Whalers, making 23 saves and earning his paycheck with a steady performance. Across the ice, Jiri Patera had a busy night, stopping 27 shots but unable to stop Hartford’s top trio from having their way. The Whalers' power play may have taken the night off, going 0-for-1, but who needs power plays when your even-strength game is this dominant?

Game stars went to Mark Stone for doing Mark Stone things (two goals, casual dominance), Alex Pietrangelo for opening the scoring and anchoring the D, and Artturi Lehkonen for serving up more assists than a generous bartender on Friday night.

And with that, the Whalers remain unbeaten against division rivals at 3-0-1, while the Nordiques continue to prove they’re allergic to beating teams in their own division, sitting at a somewhat poetic 0-3-0. If this keeps up, Quebec might want to consider changing their mascot to a white flag.

Attendance at the game was a sellout, with 18,000 fans cheering, jeering, and no doubt wondering if Hartford’s early season dominance is for real. As for Quebec, well, at least they can take comfort in knowing there's always next game—or next season.