(Courtesy: NHL.com)

Dan Girardi doesn't score often, but he made it count in a big way in Sunday's game against Arizona.

The New York Rangers defenseman, who recorded two goals in 74 games last season, fired the game winner past Coyotes netminder Louis Domingue in only his third game of the season.

He was awarded the team's player of the game honor for his efforts.

With 43 goals in 728 career appearances, Girardi is averaging 0.06 goals per game, or 4.8 for every 82 games played.

Soak it in; it will likely be a while until the next one.

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(Courtesy: NHL.com)

It didn't take long for the Anaheim Ducks to bring the home fans to their feet.

Andrew Cogliano scored 33 seconds into Sunday's home opener, setting a new franchise record.

The goal was Cogliano's third of the young season.

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Cam Talbot had quite the week.

On the ice, he recorded a pair of wins for the Edmonton Oilers, capped by a 31-save shutout over the Winnipeg Jets at Sunday's Heritage Classic.

At home, his wife gave birth to twins, who were cheering daddy on from the comforts of home.

Naturally, Talbot approved.

As impressive as he's been for the Oilers this season, Talbot's cuddles per 60 are about to go through the roof.

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Zach Parise reached a career milestone in Sunday's game against the New York Islanders.

The Minnesota Wild winger recorded his 300th career goal on a wrist shot past Islander goalie Thomas Greiss.

Parise scored his 301st goal later in the second period after the puck squeaked past Greiss. The play required further review from the officials, but the goal stood after it was deemed the puck fully crossed the line.

Parise became the third Minnesota-born player to reach 300 career goals, and has now scored 107 as a member of the Wild.

His offensive contributions did not suffice, however, as the Wild fell to the Islanders by a score of 6-3.

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Auston Matthews went with a topical Halloween costume this year.

The Toronto Maple Leafs' star rookie dressed up as Ken Bone, the man who famously asked a question at a recent town hall-style U.S. presidential debate.

Hopefully Matthews' relevance lasts much longer than Mr. Bone's.

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Outdoor hockey games always produce visually stunning images, and Sunday's open-air affair between the Winnipeg Jets and the Edmonton Oilers was no different.

Here are eight photos you need to see from the Oilers' 3-0 win over the Jets at Investors Group Field:

Anton Lander, Darnell Nurse, and the rest of the Oilers warm up before the game.

(Courtesy: Edmonton Sun)

Jets forward Blake Wheeler was clearly ready to battle the sun's glare.

(Courtesy: Winnipeg Jets)

After a two-hour sun delay, the game began under clear skies in Winnipeg.

(Courtesy: Anne-Marie Sorvin/Action Images)

Here's what the opening faceoff looked like from high above.

(Courtesy: Winnipeg Jets)

Oilers defensemen Adam Larsson (left) and Oscar Klefbom track Jets forward Alex Burmistrov in the shadows.

(Courtesy: Anne-Marie Sorvin/Action Images)

Oilers goaltender Cam Talbot follows the puck in mid-air as his teammates look on.

(Courtesy: NHL)

Nurse connects on a big hit.

(Courtesy: Edmonton Sun)

Investors Group Field was stunning all day long, and it looked especially beautiful after the sun went down.

(Courtesy: Anne-Marie Sorvin/Action Images)

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WINNIPEG - Cam Talbot made 31 saves and Mark Letestu scored the first of three second-period goals, lifting the Edmonton Oilers over the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday in an outdoor game delayed almost two hours by sunlight melting the ice.

The Heritage Classic victory extended Edmonton's winning streak to three in front of 33,240 at Investors Group Field. Fans wore both Jets and Oilers jerseys to the league's 19th outdoor game.

Zack Kassian had a goal and an assist and Darnell Nurse also scored for Edmonton.

Connor Hellebuyck, who had a tuque attached to his helmet, stopped 29 shots for Winnipeg.

The NHL said the start of the Heritage Classic game was delayed ''due to intermittent sunlight on the playing surface'' and ''in the interest of player safety.''

The Jets committed a series of errors that allowed Edmonton to break the game open in the second period.

Winnipeg was on a power play midway through the period when defenseman Dustin Byfuglien failed to get his stick on a loose puck in the Oilers end. Letestu picked it up and went in alone on Hellebuyck, beating him with a low shot for a shorthanded goal at 9:24.

Nurse emerged from the penalty box a couple minutes later and broke for a 2-on-1 with Connor McDavid. Nurse took a pass from McDavid, then sent a shot over Hellebuyck's glove with 8:50 left.

McDavid has four goals and five assists in six games.

Kassian gave the Oilers a three-goal advantage with 2:44 left after Jets rookie Patrik Laine turned over the puck.

Edmonton had a two-man advantage for 55 seconds midway through the third period but couldn't stretch its lead.

NOTES: Jets veteran defenseman Mark Stuart and forward Chris Thorburn were healthy scratches. The Oilers sat forward Anton Slepyshev and defenseman Matthew Benning.

UP NEXT

Oilers: Host the Capitals on Wednesday night.

Jets: Play at Dallas on Tuesday night.

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Here come the Edmonton Oilers.

No, really.

With a 3-0 win over the Winnipeg Jets at the Heritage Classic on Sunday, Edmonton began the season 5-1-0 for the first time since 1985-86.

In more recent years, it's taken the Oilers much longer to reach the five-win mark.

But while the early success is a positive sign, the Oilers haven't exactly faced off against the NHL's best to this point.

Next up is a meeting with the Washington Capitals, which will provide a more accurate litmus test.

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The NHL's fascination with outdoor games has gone from experiment, to tradition, to gimmick.

What was once an annual tradition has lost its luster, with the league attempting to maximize profits by increasing the number of games from a single Winter Classic on New Year's Day, to multiple outdoor affairs throughout the season.

Related: Outdoor games have lost their novelty

The possibilities for compelling new outdoor games dwindle with every passing event, but there are several things the league can do to make them worth watching again.

Here are five ways the NHL can revive interest in the outdoor game:

Less is more

After three years of holding one outdoor game per season (from 2008-10), the NHL held two in 2010-11, then scheduled an astounding six outdoor contests in 2013-14, before scaling back to a pair in 2014-15, and three last season.

Including Sunday's Heritage Classic, four outdoor games will take place in 2016-17. The league can't be blamed for celebrating its centennial with an extra game, but that's still too many.

Let's bring it back to one - or at most, two - per season. One Winter Classic and one Heritage Classic every two or three years would be ideal.

Enough with the same old teams

One of the biggest gripes among fans is that outdoor games always seem to involve the same teams - Original Six or otherwise.

While the NHL has occasionally incorporated newer markets, the criticism is warranted.

The Chicago Blackhawks will play their fifth outdoor game this season, while the Pittsburgh Penguins will appear in their fourth.

Eight of the NHL's 30 teams (or nine of 31, including the expansion Las Vegas franchise) haven't played in one, and that list includes four more-than-watchable teams in the Tampa Bay Lightning, Nashville Predators, Dallas Stars, and Florida Panthers.

Those climates wouldn't be ideal, but there have been two outdoor games in California, and the warm-weather contenders could always play in a colder environment.

Keep exploring neutral sites

After the 2016-17 games are played, 18 of the league's 28 metropolitan areas will have hosted an outdoor event. Chicago, New York, Massachusetts, and Pittsburgh will have held it twice.

The NHL needs to get creative, as its reportedly doing by considering a game at West Point, and perhaps South Bend, Indiana.

Going into uncharted territory is clearly the next step, and the best way to inject new life.

One beautiful game deserves another

Neutral sites are one thing, but let's take it a step further and go across the pond.

We've seen these held in NFL stadiums, college facilities, and Major League ballparks, so why not take it to a soccer stadium in England?

Tottenham is building a state-of-the-art, 61,000-seat facility with the NFL in mind, and it's expected to open for the 2018-19 season. Failing that, there are plenty of other options. The Colorado Avalanche are run by the Kroenke family, which also holds a large stake in Arsenal.

Long-term growth of the game and eyeballs gained thanks to curiosity will outweigh the immediate cost.

Put the kids in the international spotlight

The NHL has always struggled to market its stars. That's exactly what it should do with outdoor games, because they're a perfect advertising vehicle on U.S. national TV.

Edmonton Oilers sensation Connor McDavid battled Winnipeg Jets phenom Patrik Laine on Sunday, but south of the border, the Heritage Classic was only shown on NHL Network.

Canadian teams don't usually move the needle below the 49th parallel, so the league should match them up with a major U.S. market and showcase the best young talent to a larger audience.

For example, the Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews will play in the Centennial Classic against a Red Wings squad featuring fellow American youngster Dylan Larkin.

NBC justifiably wants more of Matthews, and should put him in as many of these as possible. And it should work on showcasing the rest of the next generation of stars, as well.

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