Chicago v Detroit 12pm ET
Anaheim v Columbus 6pm ET
Los Angeles v Dallas 6pm ET
Washington v Philadelphia 6pm ET
Boston v Buffalo 7.30pm ET
Sunday, 31 March 2013
Gameday 71 (Sat, 30 Mar) - Results
Boston v Philadelphia 1-3 - Mired in a four-game losing skid that put them in
danger of missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the second time in 19
years, the Philadelphia
Flyers battled hard and got a strong performance from their
battered defense to defeat the Boston
Bruins 3-1 Saturday at Wells Fargo Center. Ilya
Bryzgalov, who allowed eight goals in his previous two starts,
made 33 saves for the Flyers, who got goals from Mike
Knuble, Matt
Read and Rulsan Fedotenko. The loss dropped Boston's record to
2-4-1 in its past seven games. The Flyers opened the scoring late in
the first period while on the power play. With Zdeno
Chara in the penalty box for holding, Knuble took a Braydon
Schenn pass from behind the net before beating Bruins goalie Tuukka
Rask. It was the 40-year-old Knuble's second goal in two games
since returning to the lineup after being a healthy scratch for eight
games shortly after the Flyers acquired Simon
Gagne in a trade with the Los Angeles Kings on Feb. 26. With
Knuble's scoring surge, the veteran forward who signed as a free
agent with Philadelphia in January has provided some much-needed
secondary scoring. It's been a triumphant return thus far for Knuble,
who was occasionally a healthy scratch last season with the
Washington Capitals. The disappointing campaign, during which he
scored six goals and 18 points in 72 games, effectively ended his
three-year run in the nation's capital. The Bruins carried the play
through the first 40 minutes, outshooting the Flyers 12-7 in both the
first and second periods. And, without injured defensemen Braydon
Coburn and Andrej
Meszaros, each out indefinitely with shoulder injuries, Bryzgalov
and the Flyers managed to hold on. Earlier in the day, the Flyers
announced the acquisition of veteran defenseman Kent
Huskins from the Detroit Red Wings. But with Huskins not yet with
the Flyers, rookie Oliver
Lauridsen made his NHL debut. Read doubled the Flyers' lead 3:18
into the second period when he finished a perfect cross-ice pass from
Jakub Voracek
to beat Rask and notch his first goal since Feb. 18. Boston got
within 2-1 five minutes into the third period when Nathan
Horton found a rebound off Dennis
Seidenberg's point shot and beat Bryzgalov for his 10th goal of
the season. But the Bruins could not muster any more offense from
there. Through the final minutes of regulation, the depleted Flyers
defense managed to keep Bruins skaters to the perimeter, blocking a
number of their shots. Fedotenko sealed the game with 58 seconds
remaining when he stole the puck form Aaron
Johnson at the Boston blue line and flipped it into the empty net
for an unassisted goal, his first in over two months. With the win,
the Flyers have 31 points, tying them in the conference with the
Buffalo Sabres, Tampa Bay Lightning and Washington, whom they play
host to Sunday. Going into Saturday night's action, Philadelphia is
four points behind the eighth-place New York Rangers.
NY Islanders v Pittsburgh 0-2 - The Pittsburgh Penguins might have assembled a veritable virtual All-star team, but it's the unheralded players and unnoticed plays extending their winning streak. Backup goalie Tomas Vokoun made 35 saves for his second consecutive shutout, Matt Cooke scored the winner the shift after being a major part of an extended 5-on-3 penalty kill, and the Penguins won their 15th consecutive game, 2-0 against the New York Islanders on Saturday afternoon. The Penguins tied the 1982 Islanders for the second-longest winning streak in NHL history and established a franchise record by winning their 12th straight game at home. Jarome Iginla made his Penguins debut, joining Brenden Morrow and Douglas Murray as veterans who joined the team this week after being acquired in trades. But even with the additions, the Penguins began Saturday's game not only without their No. 1 goalie between the pipes but also without their top two defenseman (based on ice time). They ended it without their two leading scorers too. Defenseman Kris Letang missed his second consecutive game because of a lower-body injury and the team announced early Saturday that defenseman Paul Martin would be out for approximately six weeks because of an unspecified broken bone in his upper body that will require surgery Sunday. Captain Sidney Crosby was knocked out of the game during his first shift by a puck to the face, and goals leader Chris Kunitz was given a game misconduct late in the second period upon being penalized for checking from behind. James Neal scored about five minutes after Cooke's goal with 11:50 left in regulation, but the Penguins hardly need insurance goals these days. Pittsburgh has won by shutout in each of its past three games, all of them finished by Vokoun. Starter Marc-Andre Fleury was back in uniform on the bench Saturday after missing Thursday's 4-0 win against the Winnipeg Jets. He left Tuesday's 1-0 victory against the Montreal Canadiens with an upper-body injury. The Penguins have not allowed a goal in 208:24, a franchise record. Vokoun's scoreless streak of 162:42 is a personal best and the record for a Penguins goalie. Vokoun's shutout was his third of the season and 51st of his career. Pittsburgh has allowed nine goals over the past 11 games. The team's 15-0-0 March marks the first time in League history a team that played at least 10 games had a perfect record over a calendar month. The NHL record for most wins in a row is 17, set by the Penguins March 9-April 10, 1993. The game remained scoreless through two periods, but the Islanders began the third with 93 seconds of 5-on-3 play. New York, which entered with the NHL's top road power play, was awarded a five-minute advantage with 3:37 left in the second when Kunitz was penalized for his hit on Josh Bailey. Brooks Orpik was called for tripping 3:04 later. Bailey went face-first into the boards in the left-wing corner on the play and did not return. Islanders coach Jack Capuano said after the game that Bailey underwent unspecified testing and "fortunately is OK." It was the second game in a row the Penguins were buoyed by a third-period 5-on-3 kill of almost a full two minutes. Cooke was a major part of the penalty-killing unit that denied all three Islanders' chances. His goal was his sixth of the season but first since having two against the Montreal Canadiens on March 2, the first game of the Penguins' winning streak. Cooke pounced on a rebound of a Deryk Engelland shot, turned and beat New York goalie Evgeni Nabokov with a wrist shot. Reigning 40-goal scorer Neal's goal was his first in 10 games. Neal skated down the right wing and fired a wrist shot that beat Nabokov to the far side for his 18th of the season. Cooke's goal came about 30 seconds after Vokoun made a game-altering save on a Michael Grabner breakaway. Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin had an assist in his second game back after a nine-game absence because of a shoulder injury. The Penguins took four of five from the Islanders this season in what could be a Stanley Cup Playoffs first-round series preview. The Islanders entered the game tied with the New York Rangers for the eighth Eastern Conference playoff spot; Pittsburgh opened a nine-point lead atop conference over Montreal. The Islanders had a season-high three-game winning streak snapped.
Carolina v Winnipeg 3-1 - Only the inside of the Carolina Hurricanes' dressing room may really know whether a Saturday afternoon meeting with the Winnipeg Jets rose to must-win status. But a March rut that has imperiled what had been a promising bid to win the Southeast Division certainly pushed the Hurricanes to play with desperation against the Jets at MTS Centre, resulting in a 3-1 win. Carolina coach Kirk Muller acknowledged that a loss to Winnipeg would have damaged his team's aspirations of taking the Southeast Division, the Hurricanes' surest path to the Stanley Cup Playoffs if they can pass the Jets, but Muller said that his club was taking a big-picture view that began Saturday against Winnipeg. The victory ended Carolina's 0-6-1 slide and nudged the Hurricanes within four points of the division-leading Jets, who have dropped consecutive games heading into a three-game road trip. Carolina owns three games in hand on Winnipeg (18-16-2) and moves on to face the Montreal Canadiens to begin a four-game week. Fresh off a 6-3 loss Thursday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs in which they surrendered a third-period lead, the Hurricanes also began the afternoon with a 3-9-0 mark against Southeast Division opponents. Despite the loss Thursday, the effort against the Maple Leafs satisfied Muller and the Hurricanes, and they carried that play into Winnipeg, using an Alexander Semin goal 1:06 into the game to establish an early lead. The Hurricanes provided themselves some early life against an opponent that has struggled in the first period this season. Carolina put the Jets in a 2-0 hole on goals from Semin and Jussi Jokinen and carried that advantage into the first intermission. Opponents have outscored the Jets 35-18 in the opening period this season. Staal sealed Carolina's first win since March 12 with a goal 28 seconds into the third period that rebuilt a two-goal lead. Goalie Justin Peters, who began the season third on Carolina's depth chart, rebounded from consecutive games in which he allowed four goals after stepping in for Dan Ellis, who was injured March 21. Peters made 27 saves winning for the third time in eight appearances. Ondrej Pavelec returned to the net for Winnipeg after backup Al Montoya played in a 4-0 loss to the Penguins in Pittsburgh on Thursday. Montoya's start broke a streak of 11 consecutive starts by Pavelec, who made 25 saves and helped the Jets to hold off back-to-back Carolina 5-on-3 advantages late in the second period. After arriving Friday in Winnipeg, Muller met with his team and set the tone for his team's meeting against the Jets. Winnipeg cut into Carolina's lead in the opening two minutes of the second period. Evander Kane sped down the right boards on his off-wing and backhanded a pass into the Carolina crease that Olli Jokinen tipped past Peters at 1:26 for a 2-1 game. But the Winnipeg's first goal and another lively MTS Centre crowd could not push the Jets to build second-period momentum. Trailing 2-1 in the second period, the Jets faced four Carolina power plays in a 7:15. The Jets held a Carolina power play that began the game on 3-for-12 roll over its past four games scoreless on six tries -- but the penalty trouble stalled any Winnipeg momentum. The Jets threatened several times in the opening 30 minutes. Dustin Byfuglien rocketed a first-period shot off the post, and Nik Antropov nearly beat Peters through the pads. Peters then stopped Bryan Little's second-period breakaway that kept the score at 2-1. Winnipeg survived Carolina's consecutive two-man advantages in the second period, but Staal's team-leading 16th goal gave the Hurricanes a 3-1 lead. Tuomo Ruutu, who assisted on Carolina's first two goals, exited the game with what the Hurricanes reported to be a lower-body injury halfway through the first period after playing just three shifts. Ruutu played his first game of the season March 21, and his absence is the latest for a club missing goaltenders Ellis and Cam Ward, plus Justin Faulk and Bobby Sanguinetti on the blue line and forward Chad LaRose, who missed the game with the flu.
Nashville v Colorado 0-1 - Wins have been few and far between for the Colorado Avalanche, especially in the past few weeks. Indeed, their hopes of making a run at the Stanley Cup Playoffs have disappeared with eight losses in nine games. Now, reduced to playing the role of spoiler, the Avalanche managed some semblance of satisfaction Saturday with a 1-0 overtime victory against the Nashville Predators at the Pepsi Center. Goalie Semyon Varlamov made 34 saves and rookie defenseman Tyson Barrie scored 50 seconds into the extra period as the Avalanche snapped a four-game losing streak and continued the Predators' woes on the road. While the Predators salvaged a valuable point to remain in the hunt for a Western Conference postseason berth, the loss was their fifth in a row on the road, where they've gone 1-9-2 in the past dozen games and are 5-11-3 overall. Saturday's game was a far cry from the teams' first meeting Feb. 18, when the Avalanche chased starter Chris Mason in the second period en route to a 6-5 win. Varlamov acknowledged that a lack of confidence has affected his play and that of the Avalanche in general. The Avalanche are in last place in the Western Conference and 29th in the overall standings. Varlamov was especially good when the Avalanche were shorthanded. He made 12 saves during six Predators power plays, which included a two-man advantage in the first period that lasted 33 seconds. The Predators also had what turned into a four-minute power play spanning the second and third periods after Avalanche defenseman Ryan O'Byrne iced the puck and high-sticked Brandon Yip in the face on the ensuing faceoff to earn a double minor. The Avalanche haven't gotten much offense from their defense this season, but Barrie and partner Greg Zanon hooked up for the winning goal. Right wing PA Parenteau passed to Zanon for a shot that Rinne stopped, but Barrie pinched down the right side to bang in the rebound. Barrie, who was recalled March 25 from the Lake Erie Monsters of the American Hockey League, has two of the three goals scored by Avalanche defenseman this season. Barrie figured he wouldn't have been in position to collect the winning goal if Varlamov hadn't played as well as he did. Avalanche right wing Milan Hejduk sustained a shoulder injury halfway through the first period and didn't return. There was no further update after the game.
Washington v Buffalo 4-3 - On a night when the Buffalo Sabres' front office said they'd likely be sellers at the trade deadline, the current on-ice product blew a two-goal lead in the third period and gave up a point to a team they are looking up to in the standings. Matt Hendricks and Alexander Ovechkin scored in the shootout to give the Washington Capitals a 4-3 victory over the Sabres at First Niagara Center on Saturday. Sabres forward Ville Leino scored twice and Jhonas Enroth made 35 saves in his sixth start of the season. Defenseman Christian Ehrhoff, appearing in his 600th NHL game, also scored for Buffalo. Ovechkin recorded his 17th goal of the season and Troy Brouwer scored shorthanded for Washington, while defenseman Mike Green scored with 39.2 seconds left to play in regulation to send the game to overtime. Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby made 20 saves in the win. Green's goal came about 12 minutes after he hit the post on a similar play. His shot from the point rang off the left goal post and out with about 13 minutes left, but with the goalie pulled and less than a minute to play, his rocket from about the same area hit the post, hit Enroth and found the back of the net to force the extra period. Leino scored his first two goals of the season after missing the first 27 games of the season with a hip injury he sustained in training camp. In eight games this season, he has six points. It was Leino's first goal since April 5, 2012, and his first two-goal game since March 2, 2012. Saturday was the first time he'd scored at home since Dec. 7, 2011. His best offensive game of the season came following the team's game on Thursday in Florida, where he was benched for the final two periods after taking an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty at the end of the first period. Leino's mind, however, was on the missed opportunities and the blown lead in the game on Saturday. The Sabres are now 4-4-5 in their last 13 games and are 0-1-2 in their last three. Rolston was at a loss for words when asked after the game about the team's inability to close out close games. Prior to the game, the Sabres traded veteran defenseman Jordan Leopold to the St. Louis Blues for two picks in the 2013 NHL Draft. Sabres general manager Darcy Regier said before the game that based on where the team is in the standings, 13th place in the Eastern Conference heading into the contest, more moves could be made before the trade deadline on Wednesday. The Capitals have won four of their last five games and visit the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday. Even though the New York Rangers lost to the Flyers on Saturday to help Washington's playoff chances, the Capitals aren't scoreboard watching just yet. Buffalo got off to a quick start Saturday. Ehrhoff opened the scoring 3:01 into the game, when he skated down the left wing and fired a shot off the crossbar. The puck ricocheted back to Ehrhoff as he continued going to the net and he put it in past Holtby for his fourth goal of the season. Ehrhoff has two goals and three assists in his last five games. Leino scored his first goal of the season 1:19 into the second period to give Buffalo a 2-0 lead. Tyler Ennis accepted a pass from Leino in the Washington zone and put a shot on goal. Holtby kicked the puck back into the slot, where Leino buried the rebound. Washington responded 1:02 later on the power play with a goal from Ovechkin. On the left wing, the Capitals' captain waited for a screen and then leaned into a wrist shot from 44 feet out to beat Enroth. Leino scored his second goal on the power play with 9:44 to play in the second period. Marcus Foligno outworked Capitals defenseman Steve Oleksy in front of the net and redirected a point shot from Tyler Myers through Holtby's legs. Leino was on the doorstep to tap it in. Brouwer scored shorthanded to make it a one-goal game at 2:43 of the third period. From behind the net, Holtby whipped a Buffalo dump-in up along the left-wing glass and the puck squeaked through Sabres defenseman Andrej Sekera at the point. Brouwer picked the puck up and skated in to beat Enroth on his short side.
NY Rangers v Montreal 0-3 - Just about the only positive to come out of Saturday night for the New York Rangers is they won't have to face the Montreal Canadiens again this regular season. But with the way the Rangers are playing of late, just about any opponent represents a significant challenge. Michael Ryder scored 47 seconds into the game and the Canadiens never looked back, sweeping the season series against the Rangers thanks to 34 saves by Carey Price in a 3-0 victory. Rangers coach John Tortorella said Saturday morning his team was running out of time to figure things out this season and meet the heavy expectations placed on a group that was expected to contend for the Stanley Cup. Instead, the Rangers are clinging to the eighth playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Rangers remained in eighth by virtue of the New York Islanders' 2-0 loss against the Pittsburgh Penguins earlier in the day, but the 10th-place Carolina Hurricanes won 3-1 against the Winnipeg Jets to pull within a point of the Rangers and Islanders. And that is the message Tortorella wants his team to understand: In spite of winning once in their past five games, and scoring three goals in the four losses, the Rangers remain in a playoff spot. The precariousness of their position appears clear to the Rangers players, and they face a huge stretch that could make or break their season. Of the Rangers' next seven games, four are taken up by home-and-home matchups with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Toronto Maple Leafs. The other three games are against the Jets, Hurricanes and Islanders, all teams they are fighting for a playoff spot. In the other dressing room, things could not be much better for a Canadiens team that doesn't appear to care that they are still considered by many to not be legitimate contenders despite having seven regulation losses in 34 games, the lowest total in the Eastern Conference and tied for second-lowest in the NHL. Tomas Plekanec and Brendan Gallagher added goals for the Canadiens (22-7-5), who increased their lead in the Northeast Division to three points over the Boston Bruins, who lost 3-1 to the Philadelphia Flyers earlier Saturday. The Rangers (16-15-3) dropped their eighth straight game at Bell Centre dating to a 4-3 shootout win March 17, 2009, and they were again stymied by a Canadiens team that allowed them to score one goal in three meetings this season. Martin Biron, despite allowing three goals on 26 shots, was perhaps the Rangers' best player. The Canadiens did not pepper him with shots, but the quality was far greater than the quantity. Price made a number of fine stops, but the bulk of them were on shots from the perimeter as he improved his save percentage against New York to .987 in three games and earned his third shutout of the season, with two coming at the expense of the Rangers. Subban's second three-point night of the season gave him a goal and four assists in his past two games, and 27 points in 28 games overall, pulling him to within one of League-leaders Kris Letang of the Penguins and Ryan Suter of the Minnesota Wild in defenseman scoring. With 14 games remaining, Subban is 11 points shy of his career-best total of 38 in 77 games in his rookie season in 2010-11. For a Rangers team that spoke prior to the game of how it needed to bounce back following a disappointing 3-0 loss to the Ottawa Senators on Thursday, things could not have started much worse. The team botched its first line change, leaving Ryder with an entire sheet of ice ahead of him to skate to the net. His initial shot didn't hit the target, but as the Rangers were still scrambling to get back in position, Ryder managed to get to the puck while surrounded by three defenders and beat Biron five-hole at the 47-second mark. It was Ryder's fifth goal in his past five games, and he has seven goals and seven assists in the 14 games since he was acquired from the Dallas Stars on Feb. 26 in a trade for Erik Cole. The Rangers had a 10-3 lead in shots on goal through the first half of the first period, and got their fair share of quality chances. J.T. Miller was robbed by Price on an excellent chance from the slot off a setup by Callahan at 11:58, and Marian Gaborik was turned aside on a breakaway at 16:28. Instead, it was the Canadiens who went to the first intermission with a 2-0 lead when Plekanec came down on a 2-on-1 with Subban and put a slap shot past Biron inside the far post at 18:11. Montreal got the bulk of the chances early in the second, but it was a rather obvious goaltender interference penalty on Rick Nash that ultimately cost New York when a rebound off a Subban point shot was put home by Gallagher for the rookie's 11th of the season to make it 3-0. The Rangers, who had scored three goals or more in 60 minutes twice in their previous nine games, appeared somewhat resigned to the fact they wouldn't do it in 20 minutes of the third. Ultimately they didn't score one, extending their streak without a goal to 127:47.
Toronto v Ottawa 4-0 - The red-hot duo of Joffrey Lupul and Nazem Kadri took over the Battle of Ontario on Saturday night as Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Ottawa Senators 4-0 at Scotiabank Place. Kadri had his second hat trick of the season, scoring his second and third goals of the night in a span of 2:04 in the third period to blow the game open. Lupul scored the game's first goal and assisted on all three of Kadri's, and Kadri assisted on Lupul's goal as both players finished with four-point game. Kadri was all smiles after the victory, which came with plenty of blue-and-white jerseys in the packed house at Scotiabank Place. Lupul also scored his third consecutive game-winning goal. He has five goals and four assists in his past four games, while Kadri has six goals and eight assists in his past eight games. Toronto's third consecutive victory gives the Maple Leafs 44 points, the same number as Ottawa; the Senators are fifth in the East and Toronto is sixth because they've played one fewer game. James Reimer continued to dominate the Senators, making 31 saves for his second shutout of the season. He has a career record of 7-1-1 against Ottawa, including 5-0-0 at Scotiabank Place. Ottawa's Ben Bishop made 19 saves as his four-game winning streak ended. The atmosphere was electric for the latest matchup between the provincial rivals, with three fights taking place in a wild first period. Matt Kassian dropped the gloves against Colton Orr and Frazer McLaren in separate scraps, while Colin Greening fought with Mark Fraser.The Leafs took the lead on their first power play. Daniel Alfredsson was called for hooking Michael Kostka at 2:03, and a minute later, Kadri's shot from the top of the right circle was tipped by Lupul and went through Bishop's five-hole. Ottawa took seven minutes to get a shot on Reimer, but then had several chances in the remainder of the opening period. Reimer closed his pads to stop Guillaume Latendresse on a breakaway near the eight-minute mark. Jim O'Brien rifled a shot from the slot with seven minutes left that hit the crossbar, and a broken play with five minutes left turned into a shot by Chris Neil that appeared to have Reimer beat. Greening, who was standing to the right of Reimer, tipped the puck into the net, but the referee whistled the play dead prior to the puck crossing the goal line. The Leafs made it 2-0 in the second on a play that began 200 feet from the Senators' net. Neil tripped John-Michael Liles in the Toronto zone, which led to a delayed penalty. Reimer left his net for an extra attacker, and after a scramble in front of the net, Lupul deflected the puck with his skate to a wide-open Kadri, who was waiting to the right of Bishop. Kadri easily tipped the puck into the net at 12:45. The Battle of Ontario shutout dampened the spirits of the Senators, who had won six out of their past seven games prior to Saturday.
New Jersey v Florida 2-3 - The stakes weren't nearly as high, but Saturday's game between the New Jersey Devils and Florida Panthers looked awfully similar to their previous meeting at BB&T Center, except the outcome. Shawn Matthias tied the game by scoring his second goal with 27 seconds remaining in regulation, and Dmitry Kulikov scored his first goal of the season at 1:43 of overtime to give the Panthers a 3-2 victory. The game ended with the same score as Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, when the Devils won in double overtime. The Panthers had been 0-5 in games decided in overtime this season, along with a 2-1 shootout record. Kulikov beat Martin Brodeur with a wrist shot from the wing after taking a cross-ice pass from Brian Campbell, who had stopped a New Jersey clearing attempt in the high slot. It was Kulikov's first goal since Jan. 9, 2012, when he scored in a 2-1 victory against the Vancouver Canucks. Matthias continued his torrid run for the Panthers, scoring his 10th and 11th goals in his past 16 games. By comparison, he had never scored more than 10 goals in the past three seasons despite playing at least 51 games each time. Matthias also had two goals in Thursday's 5-4 shootout victory against the Buffalo Sabres. Matthias' tying goal marked the second night in a row that the Devils squandered a lead in the standings in the final 30 seconds of regulation and left with one point instead of two. New Jersey allowed a goal with 15 seconds left Friday night before losing 5-4 in a shootout to the Tampa Bay Lightning. With goaltender Jacob Markstrom on the bench for an extra attacker, Matthias tied the game when he fired into a wide-open net after the rebound of Scottie Upshall's backhander from the side bounced to the middle of the ice. Markstrom, making his sixth start in seven games, stopped 24 shots as the Panthers won for only the second time (2-16-4) in 22 games this season when they allowed the first goal. Steve Bernier scored twice for the Devils, snapping a 13-game goal drought. His last goal had come March 2 in a 4-3 shootout loss against the Buffalo Sabres. After playing for the Panthers in 2010-11, Bernier has five goals in 11 games [including playoffs] against his former team during the past two seasons. Brodeur, playing on consecutive nights for the first time this season, stopped 27 shots. It was the first time in 16 games the Devils allowed more than 25 shots, a streak that included six overtime or shootout games. Brodeur is 2-0-3 in five games since returning from a back injury. The Devils have lost three in a row past regulation for the second time this season. The overtime loss helped the Devils increase their lead over the New York Rangers and New York Islanders for seventh place in the Eastern Conference to four points. New Jersey has 39 points; the Rangers and Islanders have 35, both lost on Saturday in regulation. The Devils won the first meeting against the Panthers this season, 2-1 at New Jersey last Saturday. The teams will meet for the third and final time this season in Newark on April 20. New Jersey played its third consecutive game without star forward Ilya Kovalchuk, who hurt his shoulder against the Panthers on March 23. But defenseman Henrik Tallinder was back in action after missing 11 games with a lower-body injury. The game was tied 1-1 heading into the third period before Bernier gave New Jersey the lead with a power-play goal at 7:57. With Matthias in the penalty box for hooking, Bernier scored when he tipped Tallinder's shot from the point while standing in front of Markstrom. Bernier opened the scoring 3:42 into the game after a turnover in the Panthers zone. Bernier got a stick on a pass by Kulikov and the puck went right to Devils center Stephen Gionta at the right faceoff dot. Gionta passed to the slot to Ryan Carter, who immediately backhanded a pass to Bernier to the right of the net for a backhanded redirection. Matthias got lucky on his goal at 12:55 of the first when he scored on a power play. Jonathan Huberdeau's pass from the side to the front of the net went off the left skate of Matthias and past Brodeur. Huberdeau finished with two assists and took over the NHL rookie scoring lead with 25 points, one more than Cory Conacher of the Lightning. Florida outshot New Jersey 13-7 in a scoreless second period.
Los Angeles v Minnesota 3-4 - Minnesota Wild erased a two-goal deficit against the Stanley Cup champions, playing its second game in as many nights and fifth in eight days. The Wild scored three consecutive goals in the shootout and got the stop it needed from goaltender Niklas Backstrom in a 4-3 victory against the Los Angeles Kings at Xcel Energy Center on Saturday. After having its seven-game winning streak snapped just 24 hours earlier in Dallas, Minnesota looked to be in trouble midway through the second period, down two goals to a team that was resting in St. Paul on Friday, while the Wild were in Texas. But a goal by rookie Charlie Coyle towards the end of the second turned the tide and provided the fuel for the Wild's tying goal midway through the third period. Coyle's goal came thanks to some gritty work by Zach Parise and Minnesota captain Mikko Koivu behind the net. Koivu fed the puck to Coyle in front, but he had his stick lifted before he could get a shot off. He stayed composed, gathered in the puck from his knees and fired past Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick for his fourth of the season. Minnesota's top-line also buried the tying goal on the power play midway through the third when Koivu fired a cross-slot, no-look pass to Parise at the left post. His snap shot beat Quick for his team-leading 15th of the year. For Koivu, his two assists extended his points streak to seven games. He was also credited with the winning goal in the shootout. The Kings grabbed a 1-0 lead on the power play 7:58 into the game when Dustin Brown scooped up a loose puck in the left corner, drove to the slot and beat Backstrom with a wrist shot for his 14th of the season. L.A. entered the contest 13-1-1 when scoring first this season. But Minnesota got even less than six minutes later, as its red-hot second line capped a pretty series of passes with a goal by Matt Cullen from the top of the left circle. Left wing Pierre-Marc Bouchard entered the zone with the puck and passed to Devin Setoguchi at the right circle. Setoguchi fed the puck back to Cullen for a snap shot that beat Quick to the top corner at 13:19 for his seventh of the season. Cullen, who started the season slowly, now has points in four straight games and 19 points in his last 19 games. The Kings struck again with the extra man 3:44 into the second when Jeff Carter rifled a shot from the right circle past Backstrom for his 19th of the season. Williams added a breakaway goal at 11:24 to make it 3-1. For Carter, the goal was his 400th career point. Minnesota, which boasts one of the top penalty killing units in the NHL, has now allowed five power-play goals in its last two contests. Backstrom stopped 28 shots to win his League-leading 19th game of the season. The victory was also his eighth straight, a career high. The Wild are now 4-1 in shootouts this season. Quick made 25 saves and dropped to 12-10-3 on the season. L.A., which would have pulled even with Minnesota with a win in regulation, now has 41 points, fifth best in the Western Conference. In the midst of a four-game road trip, the Kings embark on the second half of their own back-to-back set Sunday night in Dallas. Minnesota's 44 points pulled it even with the Vancouver Canucks atop the Northwest Division, with the former controlling the tiebreaker thanks to two more wins and having one game in hand. The Wild will host St. Louis Monday before heading off on a three-game road trip which brings them to San Jose on Wednesday and Los Angeles on Thursday.
Vancouver v Edmonton 0-4 - Taylor Hall and the Edmonton Oilers were ready to go from the opening faceoff Saturday. Hall scored twice as the Oilers set a franchise record for the fastest three goals from the start of a game, then completed his third career hat trick before the first period was eight minutes old as the Oilers beat the Vancouver Canucks 4-0 at Rexall Place. The victory was the third in a row for Edmonton (14-13-7). The Oilers are one of four teams tied with 35 points, one behind eighth-place St. Louis in the Western Conference playoff scramble. The Calgary Flames come to Edmonton on Monday before the Oilers begin a four-game trip. The Canucks had their six-game winning streak snapped and dropped into second place behind the Minnesota Wild in the Northwest Division, both teams have 44 points, but the Wild have a game in hand. The four goals allowed by Vancouver in the Oilers' first-period outburst were only two fewer than the Canucks had allowed during the six-game winning streak. Hall scored 16 seconds after the opening faceoff, and Ladislav Smid scored his first goal in more than a year with a blast from the top of the left circle at 2:05, sending Cory Schneider to the bench after he was beaten on the only two shots he faced. But Hall greeted Roberto Luongo by finishing off a quick 2-on-1 pass from Ryan Nugent-Hopkins at 2:43 for a 3-0 lead. The Oilers' previous record for fastest three goals from the opening faceoff was 3:25, set against Colorado on Dec. 16, 1981. It was also the Oilers' third goal on just three shots, the last time a team scored on its first three shots in a game was Oct. 14, 2009, when the Dallas Stars did it against the Nashville Predators. The Oilers got their first power play when Steven Pinizzotto was called for interference at 7:42, and Hall needed just 11 seconds of the man advantage to complete his hat trick. He came off the right wing, moved to the front of the net and knocked the puck through Luongo's pads at 7:53 for a 4-0 lead, on just five shots. The four goals were more than enough for Devan Dubnyk, who stopped all 23 shots by the stunned Canucks for his second shutout of the season and the sixth of his career. Vancouver outshot Edmonton 8-3 in the second period and had a pair of power plays but couldn't beat Dubnyk, whose best stop may have come early in the period when he denied Alexandre Burrows on a redirection. Luongo denied Hall's bid for a fourth goal with a spectacular blocker save midway through the third period. He also robbed Jordan Eberle from point-blank range with just under four minutes remaining. While he was obviously delighted to play most of the game with a four-goal lead, Krueger was also pleased that the Oilers never let the Canucks get back into the game.
Phoenix v San Jose 2-3 - Joe Pavelski remained red-hot Saturday, and so did the San Jose Sharks. Pavelski scored for the fourth straight game and added an assist, leading the Sharks to their fourth straight victory, a 3-2 shootout win against the Phoenix Coyotes at HP Pavilion. Logan Couture opened the shootout and beat goaltender Jason LaBarbera to his glove side for the only goal. Sharks goaltender Antti Niemi stopped Steve Sullivan, Radim Vrbata and Mikkel Boedker in the breakaway competition to help San Jose earn a second point in the standings. Defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic scored for the Sharks in the third period, on his 26th birthday, no less, and Niemi finished with 27 saves. With 40 points, the Sharks moved past the Detroit Red Wings (39) and into sixth place in the Western Conference, one point behind the Los Angeles Kings. They're six points ahead of Phoenix, their Pacific Division rival. Boyd Gordon and Vrbata scored for the Coyotes, who lost for the eighth time in their past nine game, and LaBarbera stopped 32 of 34 shots. Pavelski has scored all four goals during his streak since moving from a second-line wing to the third-line center, skating between Ryane Clowe and TJ Galiardi. His first three goals were at even strength, but his goal against Phoenix came on a power play at 10:24 of the second period, as the Sharks pulled even after Gordon put the Coyotes up 1-0 with a goal late in the first period. Vrbata put the Coyotes ahead 2-1 just 33 seconds into the third period. Wide open in the slot, Vrbata took a pass from Doan and ripped a shot that was denied by Niemi. But the Sharks’ goaltender couldn't control the rebound, and Vrbata moved in untouched for an easy goal, as defenseman Brent Burns got caught too low. But with just five minutes left in the third, Pavelski fired the puck at LaBarbera, and Vlasic rammed the rebound into the net, pulling the Sharks even at 2-2. The Sharks had a good chance to score midway through overtime when Burns hit Patrick Marleau just right of the crease with a pass, but he couldn't get the puck past LaBarbera. With just over a minute left, Coyotes forward Martin Hanzal intercepted a Joe Thornton pass deep in San Jose's zone but couldn't beat Niemi. Phoenix center Antoine Vermette misfired just seconds later, and the Coyotes didn't get a shot on goal during a power play that lasted the final 12.6 seconds of overtime. Niemi entered the game after back-to-back shutouts and had a shutout streak of 121 minutes and 40 seconds. But his streak ended at 136:23 when Gordon scored at 14:43 of the first period. Evgeni Nabokov still owns the franchise’s individual shutout streak record of 170:58, set during a span of four games from Jan. 20-31 in 2009. Niemi and Thomas Greiss combined to set the team shutout record of 190:51 from Jan. 23-Feb. 2, 2012. Niemi had a pair of shutouts during that four-game stretch. Phoenix grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first when Gordon ripped a rebound past Niemi from close range for his second goal of the season. Niemi had stopped a shot from Rob Klinkhammer, who controlled the puck behind the net and fired from just left of the crease, but Gordon beat him to the glove side. The Sharks outshot Phoenix 14-11 in the first period, but trailed 1-0 after 20 minutes. With No. 1 goaltender Mike Smith (upper body) on injured reserve, LaBarbera started against the Sharks for the second time this season. He gave up four goals when the Sharks beat Phoenix 5-3 in their home opener. Smith notched a 1-0 shutout against San Jose at HP Pavilion on Feb. 9 in a shootout. The Sharks finally broke through against LaBarbera and pulled even on Pavelski's power-play goal at 10:24 of the second period, with Gordon in the box after drawing a four-minute penalty for high-sticking Sharks defenseman Justin Braun. The Sharks played without defenseman Jason Demers, who showed up at HP Pavilion on Saturday morning "not feeling good," according to McLellan. That forced the Sharks to juggle their lineup and move Burns from top-line wing back to defense and insert forward Adam Burish back into the lineup in Burns' spot with Thornton and Martin Havlat. Burns had scored a goal in three straight games and had five goals and 10 points in nine games since moving to forward on March 12 against the St. Louis Blues. Demers took a hard hit Thursday from Detroit's Cory Emmerton, a possible reason for him being out, although McLellan provided no specifics. Phoenix defenseman Keith Yandle played his 400th NHL game, all with the Coyotes, who took him in the fourth round of the 2005 NHL Draft. Coyotes coach Dave Tippett remained one win shy of 150, but he was more concerned with the lost point.
NY Islanders v Pittsburgh 0-2 - The Pittsburgh Penguins might have assembled a veritable virtual All-star team, but it's the unheralded players and unnoticed plays extending their winning streak. Backup goalie Tomas Vokoun made 35 saves for his second consecutive shutout, Matt Cooke scored the winner the shift after being a major part of an extended 5-on-3 penalty kill, and the Penguins won their 15th consecutive game, 2-0 against the New York Islanders on Saturday afternoon. The Penguins tied the 1982 Islanders for the second-longest winning streak in NHL history and established a franchise record by winning their 12th straight game at home. Jarome Iginla made his Penguins debut, joining Brenden Morrow and Douglas Murray as veterans who joined the team this week after being acquired in trades. But even with the additions, the Penguins began Saturday's game not only without their No. 1 goalie between the pipes but also without their top two defenseman (based on ice time). They ended it without their two leading scorers too. Defenseman Kris Letang missed his second consecutive game because of a lower-body injury and the team announced early Saturday that defenseman Paul Martin would be out for approximately six weeks because of an unspecified broken bone in his upper body that will require surgery Sunday. Captain Sidney Crosby was knocked out of the game during his first shift by a puck to the face, and goals leader Chris Kunitz was given a game misconduct late in the second period upon being penalized for checking from behind. James Neal scored about five minutes after Cooke's goal with 11:50 left in regulation, but the Penguins hardly need insurance goals these days. Pittsburgh has won by shutout in each of its past three games, all of them finished by Vokoun. Starter Marc-Andre Fleury was back in uniform on the bench Saturday after missing Thursday's 4-0 win against the Winnipeg Jets. He left Tuesday's 1-0 victory against the Montreal Canadiens with an upper-body injury. The Penguins have not allowed a goal in 208:24, a franchise record. Vokoun's scoreless streak of 162:42 is a personal best and the record for a Penguins goalie. Vokoun's shutout was his third of the season and 51st of his career. Pittsburgh has allowed nine goals over the past 11 games. The team's 15-0-0 March marks the first time in League history a team that played at least 10 games had a perfect record over a calendar month. The NHL record for most wins in a row is 17, set by the Penguins March 9-April 10, 1993. The game remained scoreless through two periods, but the Islanders began the third with 93 seconds of 5-on-3 play. New York, which entered with the NHL's top road power play, was awarded a five-minute advantage with 3:37 left in the second when Kunitz was penalized for his hit on Josh Bailey. Brooks Orpik was called for tripping 3:04 later. Bailey went face-first into the boards in the left-wing corner on the play and did not return. Islanders coach Jack Capuano said after the game that Bailey underwent unspecified testing and "fortunately is OK." It was the second game in a row the Penguins were buoyed by a third-period 5-on-3 kill of almost a full two minutes. Cooke was a major part of the penalty-killing unit that denied all three Islanders' chances. His goal was his sixth of the season but first since having two against the Montreal Canadiens on March 2, the first game of the Penguins' winning streak. Cooke pounced on a rebound of a Deryk Engelland shot, turned and beat New York goalie Evgeni Nabokov with a wrist shot. Reigning 40-goal scorer Neal's goal was his first in 10 games. Neal skated down the right wing and fired a wrist shot that beat Nabokov to the far side for his 18th of the season. Cooke's goal came about 30 seconds after Vokoun made a game-altering save on a Michael Grabner breakaway. Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin had an assist in his second game back after a nine-game absence because of a shoulder injury. The Penguins took four of five from the Islanders this season in what could be a Stanley Cup Playoffs first-round series preview. The Islanders entered the game tied with the New York Rangers for the eighth Eastern Conference playoff spot; Pittsburgh opened a nine-point lead atop conference over Montreal. The Islanders had a season-high three-game winning streak snapped.
Carolina v Winnipeg 3-1 - Only the inside of the Carolina Hurricanes' dressing room may really know whether a Saturday afternoon meeting with the Winnipeg Jets rose to must-win status. But a March rut that has imperiled what had been a promising bid to win the Southeast Division certainly pushed the Hurricanes to play with desperation against the Jets at MTS Centre, resulting in a 3-1 win. Carolina coach Kirk Muller acknowledged that a loss to Winnipeg would have damaged his team's aspirations of taking the Southeast Division, the Hurricanes' surest path to the Stanley Cup Playoffs if they can pass the Jets, but Muller said that his club was taking a big-picture view that began Saturday against Winnipeg. The victory ended Carolina's 0-6-1 slide and nudged the Hurricanes within four points of the division-leading Jets, who have dropped consecutive games heading into a three-game road trip. Carolina owns three games in hand on Winnipeg (18-16-2) and moves on to face the Montreal Canadiens to begin a four-game week. Fresh off a 6-3 loss Thursday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs in which they surrendered a third-period lead, the Hurricanes also began the afternoon with a 3-9-0 mark against Southeast Division opponents. Despite the loss Thursday, the effort against the Maple Leafs satisfied Muller and the Hurricanes, and they carried that play into Winnipeg, using an Alexander Semin goal 1:06 into the game to establish an early lead. The Hurricanes provided themselves some early life against an opponent that has struggled in the first period this season. Carolina put the Jets in a 2-0 hole on goals from Semin and Jussi Jokinen and carried that advantage into the first intermission. Opponents have outscored the Jets 35-18 in the opening period this season. Staal sealed Carolina's first win since March 12 with a goal 28 seconds into the third period that rebuilt a two-goal lead. Goalie Justin Peters, who began the season third on Carolina's depth chart, rebounded from consecutive games in which he allowed four goals after stepping in for Dan Ellis, who was injured March 21. Peters made 27 saves winning for the third time in eight appearances. Ondrej Pavelec returned to the net for Winnipeg after backup Al Montoya played in a 4-0 loss to the Penguins in Pittsburgh on Thursday. Montoya's start broke a streak of 11 consecutive starts by Pavelec, who made 25 saves and helped the Jets to hold off back-to-back Carolina 5-on-3 advantages late in the second period. After arriving Friday in Winnipeg, Muller met with his team and set the tone for his team's meeting against the Jets. Winnipeg cut into Carolina's lead in the opening two minutes of the second period. Evander Kane sped down the right boards on his off-wing and backhanded a pass into the Carolina crease that Olli Jokinen tipped past Peters at 1:26 for a 2-1 game. But the Winnipeg's first goal and another lively MTS Centre crowd could not push the Jets to build second-period momentum. Trailing 2-1 in the second period, the Jets faced four Carolina power plays in a 7:15. The Jets held a Carolina power play that began the game on 3-for-12 roll over its past four games scoreless on six tries -- but the penalty trouble stalled any Winnipeg momentum. The Jets threatened several times in the opening 30 minutes. Dustin Byfuglien rocketed a first-period shot off the post, and Nik Antropov nearly beat Peters through the pads. Peters then stopped Bryan Little's second-period breakaway that kept the score at 2-1. Winnipeg survived Carolina's consecutive two-man advantages in the second period, but Staal's team-leading 16th goal gave the Hurricanes a 3-1 lead. Tuomo Ruutu, who assisted on Carolina's first two goals, exited the game with what the Hurricanes reported to be a lower-body injury halfway through the first period after playing just three shifts. Ruutu played his first game of the season March 21, and his absence is the latest for a club missing goaltenders Ellis and Cam Ward, plus Justin Faulk and Bobby Sanguinetti on the blue line and forward Chad LaRose, who missed the game with the flu.
Nashville v Colorado 0-1 - Wins have been few and far between for the Colorado Avalanche, especially in the past few weeks. Indeed, their hopes of making a run at the Stanley Cup Playoffs have disappeared with eight losses in nine games. Now, reduced to playing the role of spoiler, the Avalanche managed some semblance of satisfaction Saturday with a 1-0 overtime victory against the Nashville Predators at the Pepsi Center. Goalie Semyon Varlamov made 34 saves and rookie defenseman Tyson Barrie scored 50 seconds into the extra period as the Avalanche snapped a four-game losing streak and continued the Predators' woes on the road. While the Predators salvaged a valuable point to remain in the hunt for a Western Conference postseason berth, the loss was their fifth in a row on the road, where they've gone 1-9-2 in the past dozen games and are 5-11-3 overall. Saturday's game was a far cry from the teams' first meeting Feb. 18, when the Avalanche chased starter Chris Mason in the second period en route to a 6-5 win. Varlamov acknowledged that a lack of confidence has affected his play and that of the Avalanche in general. The Avalanche are in last place in the Western Conference and 29th in the overall standings. Varlamov was especially good when the Avalanche were shorthanded. He made 12 saves during six Predators power plays, which included a two-man advantage in the first period that lasted 33 seconds. The Predators also had what turned into a four-minute power play spanning the second and third periods after Avalanche defenseman Ryan O'Byrne iced the puck and high-sticked Brandon Yip in the face on the ensuing faceoff to earn a double minor. The Avalanche haven't gotten much offense from their defense this season, but Barrie and partner Greg Zanon hooked up for the winning goal. Right wing PA Parenteau passed to Zanon for a shot that Rinne stopped, but Barrie pinched down the right side to bang in the rebound. Barrie, who was recalled March 25 from the Lake Erie Monsters of the American Hockey League, has two of the three goals scored by Avalanche defenseman this season. Barrie figured he wouldn't have been in position to collect the winning goal if Varlamov hadn't played as well as he did. Avalanche right wing Milan Hejduk sustained a shoulder injury halfway through the first period and didn't return. There was no further update after the game.
Washington v Buffalo 4-3 - On a night when the Buffalo Sabres' front office said they'd likely be sellers at the trade deadline, the current on-ice product blew a two-goal lead in the third period and gave up a point to a team they are looking up to in the standings. Matt Hendricks and Alexander Ovechkin scored in the shootout to give the Washington Capitals a 4-3 victory over the Sabres at First Niagara Center on Saturday. Sabres forward Ville Leino scored twice and Jhonas Enroth made 35 saves in his sixth start of the season. Defenseman Christian Ehrhoff, appearing in his 600th NHL game, also scored for Buffalo. Ovechkin recorded his 17th goal of the season and Troy Brouwer scored shorthanded for Washington, while defenseman Mike Green scored with 39.2 seconds left to play in regulation to send the game to overtime. Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby made 20 saves in the win. Green's goal came about 12 minutes after he hit the post on a similar play. His shot from the point rang off the left goal post and out with about 13 minutes left, but with the goalie pulled and less than a minute to play, his rocket from about the same area hit the post, hit Enroth and found the back of the net to force the extra period. Leino scored his first two goals of the season after missing the first 27 games of the season with a hip injury he sustained in training camp. In eight games this season, he has six points. It was Leino's first goal since April 5, 2012, and his first two-goal game since March 2, 2012. Saturday was the first time he'd scored at home since Dec. 7, 2011. His best offensive game of the season came following the team's game on Thursday in Florida, where he was benched for the final two periods after taking an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty at the end of the first period. Leino's mind, however, was on the missed opportunities and the blown lead in the game on Saturday. The Sabres are now 4-4-5 in their last 13 games and are 0-1-2 in their last three. Rolston was at a loss for words when asked after the game about the team's inability to close out close games. Prior to the game, the Sabres traded veteran defenseman Jordan Leopold to the St. Louis Blues for two picks in the 2013 NHL Draft. Sabres general manager Darcy Regier said before the game that based on where the team is in the standings, 13th place in the Eastern Conference heading into the contest, more moves could be made before the trade deadline on Wednesday. The Capitals have won four of their last five games and visit the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday. Even though the New York Rangers lost to the Flyers on Saturday to help Washington's playoff chances, the Capitals aren't scoreboard watching just yet. Buffalo got off to a quick start Saturday. Ehrhoff opened the scoring 3:01 into the game, when he skated down the left wing and fired a shot off the crossbar. The puck ricocheted back to Ehrhoff as he continued going to the net and he put it in past Holtby for his fourth goal of the season. Ehrhoff has two goals and three assists in his last five games. Leino scored his first goal of the season 1:19 into the second period to give Buffalo a 2-0 lead. Tyler Ennis accepted a pass from Leino in the Washington zone and put a shot on goal. Holtby kicked the puck back into the slot, where Leino buried the rebound. Washington responded 1:02 later on the power play with a goal from Ovechkin. On the left wing, the Capitals' captain waited for a screen and then leaned into a wrist shot from 44 feet out to beat Enroth. Leino scored his second goal on the power play with 9:44 to play in the second period. Marcus Foligno outworked Capitals defenseman Steve Oleksy in front of the net and redirected a point shot from Tyler Myers through Holtby's legs. Leino was on the doorstep to tap it in. Brouwer scored shorthanded to make it a one-goal game at 2:43 of the third period. From behind the net, Holtby whipped a Buffalo dump-in up along the left-wing glass and the puck squeaked through Sabres defenseman Andrej Sekera at the point. Brouwer picked the puck up and skated in to beat Enroth on his short side.
NY Rangers v Montreal 0-3 - Just about the only positive to come out of Saturday night for the New York Rangers is they won't have to face the Montreal Canadiens again this regular season. But with the way the Rangers are playing of late, just about any opponent represents a significant challenge. Michael Ryder scored 47 seconds into the game and the Canadiens never looked back, sweeping the season series against the Rangers thanks to 34 saves by Carey Price in a 3-0 victory. Rangers coach John Tortorella said Saturday morning his team was running out of time to figure things out this season and meet the heavy expectations placed on a group that was expected to contend for the Stanley Cup. Instead, the Rangers are clinging to the eighth playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Rangers remained in eighth by virtue of the New York Islanders' 2-0 loss against the Pittsburgh Penguins earlier in the day, but the 10th-place Carolina Hurricanes won 3-1 against the Winnipeg Jets to pull within a point of the Rangers and Islanders. And that is the message Tortorella wants his team to understand: In spite of winning once in their past five games, and scoring three goals in the four losses, the Rangers remain in a playoff spot. The precariousness of their position appears clear to the Rangers players, and they face a huge stretch that could make or break their season. Of the Rangers' next seven games, four are taken up by home-and-home matchups with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Toronto Maple Leafs. The other three games are against the Jets, Hurricanes and Islanders, all teams they are fighting for a playoff spot. In the other dressing room, things could not be much better for a Canadiens team that doesn't appear to care that they are still considered by many to not be legitimate contenders despite having seven regulation losses in 34 games, the lowest total in the Eastern Conference and tied for second-lowest in the NHL. Tomas Plekanec and Brendan Gallagher added goals for the Canadiens (22-7-5), who increased their lead in the Northeast Division to three points over the Boston Bruins, who lost 3-1 to the Philadelphia Flyers earlier Saturday. The Rangers (16-15-3) dropped their eighth straight game at Bell Centre dating to a 4-3 shootout win March 17, 2009, and they were again stymied by a Canadiens team that allowed them to score one goal in three meetings this season. Martin Biron, despite allowing three goals on 26 shots, was perhaps the Rangers' best player. The Canadiens did not pepper him with shots, but the quality was far greater than the quantity. Price made a number of fine stops, but the bulk of them were on shots from the perimeter as he improved his save percentage against New York to .987 in three games and earned his third shutout of the season, with two coming at the expense of the Rangers. Subban's second three-point night of the season gave him a goal and four assists in his past two games, and 27 points in 28 games overall, pulling him to within one of League-leaders Kris Letang of the Penguins and Ryan Suter of the Minnesota Wild in defenseman scoring. With 14 games remaining, Subban is 11 points shy of his career-best total of 38 in 77 games in his rookie season in 2010-11. For a Rangers team that spoke prior to the game of how it needed to bounce back following a disappointing 3-0 loss to the Ottawa Senators on Thursday, things could not have started much worse. The team botched its first line change, leaving Ryder with an entire sheet of ice ahead of him to skate to the net. His initial shot didn't hit the target, but as the Rangers were still scrambling to get back in position, Ryder managed to get to the puck while surrounded by three defenders and beat Biron five-hole at the 47-second mark. It was Ryder's fifth goal in his past five games, and he has seven goals and seven assists in the 14 games since he was acquired from the Dallas Stars on Feb. 26 in a trade for Erik Cole. The Rangers had a 10-3 lead in shots on goal through the first half of the first period, and got their fair share of quality chances. J.T. Miller was robbed by Price on an excellent chance from the slot off a setup by Callahan at 11:58, and Marian Gaborik was turned aside on a breakaway at 16:28. Instead, it was the Canadiens who went to the first intermission with a 2-0 lead when Plekanec came down on a 2-on-1 with Subban and put a slap shot past Biron inside the far post at 18:11. Montreal got the bulk of the chances early in the second, but it was a rather obvious goaltender interference penalty on Rick Nash that ultimately cost New York when a rebound off a Subban point shot was put home by Gallagher for the rookie's 11th of the season to make it 3-0. The Rangers, who had scored three goals or more in 60 minutes twice in their previous nine games, appeared somewhat resigned to the fact they wouldn't do it in 20 minutes of the third. Ultimately they didn't score one, extending their streak without a goal to 127:47.
Toronto v Ottawa 4-0 - The red-hot duo of Joffrey Lupul and Nazem Kadri took over the Battle of Ontario on Saturday night as Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Ottawa Senators 4-0 at Scotiabank Place. Kadri had his second hat trick of the season, scoring his second and third goals of the night in a span of 2:04 in the third period to blow the game open. Lupul scored the game's first goal and assisted on all three of Kadri's, and Kadri assisted on Lupul's goal as both players finished with four-point game. Kadri was all smiles after the victory, which came with plenty of blue-and-white jerseys in the packed house at Scotiabank Place. Lupul also scored his third consecutive game-winning goal. He has five goals and four assists in his past four games, while Kadri has six goals and eight assists in his past eight games. Toronto's third consecutive victory gives the Maple Leafs 44 points, the same number as Ottawa; the Senators are fifth in the East and Toronto is sixth because they've played one fewer game. James Reimer continued to dominate the Senators, making 31 saves for his second shutout of the season. He has a career record of 7-1-1 against Ottawa, including 5-0-0 at Scotiabank Place. Ottawa's Ben Bishop made 19 saves as his four-game winning streak ended. The atmosphere was electric for the latest matchup between the provincial rivals, with three fights taking place in a wild first period. Matt Kassian dropped the gloves against Colton Orr and Frazer McLaren in separate scraps, while Colin Greening fought with Mark Fraser.The Leafs took the lead on their first power play. Daniel Alfredsson was called for hooking Michael Kostka at 2:03, and a minute later, Kadri's shot from the top of the right circle was tipped by Lupul and went through Bishop's five-hole. Ottawa took seven minutes to get a shot on Reimer, but then had several chances in the remainder of the opening period. Reimer closed his pads to stop Guillaume Latendresse on a breakaway near the eight-minute mark. Jim O'Brien rifled a shot from the slot with seven minutes left that hit the crossbar, and a broken play with five minutes left turned into a shot by Chris Neil that appeared to have Reimer beat. Greening, who was standing to the right of Reimer, tipped the puck into the net, but the referee whistled the play dead prior to the puck crossing the goal line. The Leafs made it 2-0 in the second on a play that began 200 feet from the Senators' net. Neil tripped John-Michael Liles in the Toronto zone, which led to a delayed penalty. Reimer left his net for an extra attacker, and after a scramble in front of the net, Lupul deflected the puck with his skate to a wide-open Kadri, who was waiting to the right of Bishop. Kadri easily tipped the puck into the net at 12:45. The Battle of Ontario shutout dampened the spirits of the Senators, who had won six out of their past seven games prior to Saturday.
New Jersey v Florida 2-3 - The stakes weren't nearly as high, but Saturday's game between the New Jersey Devils and Florida Panthers looked awfully similar to their previous meeting at BB&T Center, except the outcome. Shawn Matthias tied the game by scoring his second goal with 27 seconds remaining in regulation, and Dmitry Kulikov scored his first goal of the season at 1:43 of overtime to give the Panthers a 3-2 victory. The game ended with the same score as Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, when the Devils won in double overtime. The Panthers had been 0-5 in games decided in overtime this season, along with a 2-1 shootout record. Kulikov beat Martin Brodeur with a wrist shot from the wing after taking a cross-ice pass from Brian Campbell, who had stopped a New Jersey clearing attempt in the high slot. It was Kulikov's first goal since Jan. 9, 2012, when he scored in a 2-1 victory against the Vancouver Canucks. Matthias continued his torrid run for the Panthers, scoring his 10th and 11th goals in his past 16 games. By comparison, he had never scored more than 10 goals in the past three seasons despite playing at least 51 games each time. Matthias also had two goals in Thursday's 5-4 shootout victory against the Buffalo Sabres. Matthias' tying goal marked the second night in a row that the Devils squandered a lead in the standings in the final 30 seconds of regulation and left with one point instead of two. New Jersey allowed a goal with 15 seconds left Friday night before losing 5-4 in a shootout to the Tampa Bay Lightning. With goaltender Jacob Markstrom on the bench for an extra attacker, Matthias tied the game when he fired into a wide-open net after the rebound of Scottie Upshall's backhander from the side bounced to the middle of the ice. Markstrom, making his sixth start in seven games, stopped 24 shots as the Panthers won for only the second time (2-16-4) in 22 games this season when they allowed the first goal. Steve Bernier scored twice for the Devils, snapping a 13-game goal drought. His last goal had come March 2 in a 4-3 shootout loss against the Buffalo Sabres. After playing for the Panthers in 2010-11, Bernier has five goals in 11 games [including playoffs] against his former team during the past two seasons. Brodeur, playing on consecutive nights for the first time this season, stopped 27 shots. It was the first time in 16 games the Devils allowed more than 25 shots, a streak that included six overtime or shootout games. Brodeur is 2-0-3 in five games since returning from a back injury. The Devils have lost three in a row past regulation for the second time this season. The overtime loss helped the Devils increase their lead over the New York Rangers and New York Islanders for seventh place in the Eastern Conference to four points. New Jersey has 39 points; the Rangers and Islanders have 35, both lost on Saturday in regulation. The Devils won the first meeting against the Panthers this season, 2-1 at New Jersey last Saturday. The teams will meet for the third and final time this season in Newark on April 20. New Jersey played its third consecutive game without star forward Ilya Kovalchuk, who hurt his shoulder against the Panthers on March 23. But defenseman Henrik Tallinder was back in action after missing 11 games with a lower-body injury. The game was tied 1-1 heading into the third period before Bernier gave New Jersey the lead with a power-play goal at 7:57. With Matthias in the penalty box for hooking, Bernier scored when he tipped Tallinder's shot from the point while standing in front of Markstrom. Bernier opened the scoring 3:42 into the game after a turnover in the Panthers zone. Bernier got a stick on a pass by Kulikov and the puck went right to Devils center Stephen Gionta at the right faceoff dot. Gionta passed to the slot to Ryan Carter, who immediately backhanded a pass to Bernier to the right of the net for a backhanded redirection. Matthias got lucky on his goal at 12:55 of the first when he scored on a power play. Jonathan Huberdeau's pass from the side to the front of the net went off the left skate of Matthias and past Brodeur. Huberdeau finished with two assists and took over the NHL rookie scoring lead with 25 points, one more than Cory Conacher of the Lightning. Florida outshot New Jersey 13-7 in a scoreless second period.
Los Angeles v Minnesota 3-4 - Minnesota Wild erased a two-goal deficit against the Stanley Cup champions, playing its second game in as many nights and fifth in eight days. The Wild scored three consecutive goals in the shootout and got the stop it needed from goaltender Niklas Backstrom in a 4-3 victory against the Los Angeles Kings at Xcel Energy Center on Saturday. After having its seven-game winning streak snapped just 24 hours earlier in Dallas, Minnesota looked to be in trouble midway through the second period, down two goals to a team that was resting in St. Paul on Friday, while the Wild were in Texas. But a goal by rookie Charlie Coyle towards the end of the second turned the tide and provided the fuel for the Wild's tying goal midway through the third period. Coyle's goal came thanks to some gritty work by Zach Parise and Minnesota captain Mikko Koivu behind the net. Koivu fed the puck to Coyle in front, but he had his stick lifted before he could get a shot off. He stayed composed, gathered in the puck from his knees and fired past Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick for his fourth of the season. Minnesota's top-line also buried the tying goal on the power play midway through the third when Koivu fired a cross-slot, no-look pass to Parise at the left post. His snap shot beat Quick for his team-leading 15th of the year. For Koivu, his two assists extended his points streak to seven games. He was also credited with the winning goal in the shootout. The Kings grabbed a 1-0 lead on the power play 7:58 into the game when Dustin Brown scooped up a loose puck in the left corner, drove to the slot and beat Backstrom with a wrist shot for his 14th of the season. L.A. entered the contest 13-1-1 when scoring first this season. But Minnesota got even less than six minutes later, as its red-hot second line capped a pretty series of passes with a goal by Matt Cullen from the top of the left circle. Left wing Pierre-Marc Bouchard entered the zone with the puck and passed to Devin Setoguchi at the right circle. Setoguchi fed the puck back to Cullen for a snap shot that beat Quick to the top corner at 13:19 for his seventh of the season. Cullen, who started the season slowly, now has points in four straight games and 19 points in his last 19 games. The Kings struck again with the extra man 3:44 into the second when Jeff Carter rifled a shot from the right circle past Backstrom for his 19th of the season. Williams added a breakaway goal at 11:24 to make it 3-1. For Carter, the goal was his 400th career point. Minnesota, which boasts one of the top penalty killing units in the NHL, has now allowed five power-play goals in its last two contests. Backstrom stopped 28 shots to win his League-leading 19th game of the season. The victory was also his eighth straight, a career high. The Wild are now 4-1 in shootouts this season. Quick made 25 saves and dropped to 12-10-3 on the season. L.A., which would have pulled even with Minnesota with a win in regulation, now has 41 points, fifth best in the Western Conference. In the midst of a four-game road trip, the Kings embark on the second half of their own back-to-back set Sunday night in Dallas. Minnesota's 44 points pulled it even with the Vancouver Canucks atop the Northwest Division, with the former controlling the tiebreaker thanks to two more wins and having one game in hand. The Wild will host St. Louis Monday before heading off on a three-game road trip which brings them to San Jose on Wednesday and Los Angeles on Thursday.
Vancouver v Edmonton 0-4 - Taylor Hall and the Edmonton Oilers were ready to go from the opening faceoff Saturday. Hall scored twice as the Oilers set a franchise record for the fastest three goals from the start of a game, then completed his third career hat trick before the first period was eight minutes old as the Oilers beat the Vancouver Canucks 4-0 at Rexall Place. The victory was the third in a row for Edmonton (14-13-7). The Oilers are one of four teams tied with 35 points, one behind eighth-place St. Louis in the Western Conference playoff scramble. The Calgary Flames come to Edmonton on Monday before the Oilers begin a four-game trip. The Canucks had their six-game winning streak snapped and dropped into second place behind the Minnesota Wild in the Northwest Division, both teams have 44 points, but the Wild have a game in hand. The four goals allowed by Vancouver in the Oilers' first-period outburst were only two fewer than the Canucks had allowed during the six-game winning streak. Hall scored 16 seconds after the opening faceoff, and Ladislav Smid scored his first goal in more than a year with a blast from the top of the left circle at 2:05, sending Cory Schneider to the bench after he was beaten on the only two shots he faced. But Hall greeted Roberto Luongo by finishing off a quick 2-on-1 pass from Ryan Nugent-Hopkins at 2:43 for a 3-0 lead. The Oilers' previous record for fastest three goals from the opening faceoff was 3:25, set against Colorado on Dec. 16, 1981. It was also the Oilers' third goal on just three shots, the last time a team scored on its first three shots in a game was Oct. 14, 2009, when the Dallas Stars did it against the Nashville Predators. The Oilers got their first power play when Steven Pinizzotto was called for interference at 7:42, and Hall needed just 11 seconds of the man advantage to complete his hat trick. He came off the right wing, moved to the front of the net and knocked the puck through Luongo's pads at 7:53 for a 4-0 lead, on just five shots. The four goals were more than enough for Devan Dubnyk, who stopped all 23 shots by the stunned Canucks for his second shutout of the season and the sixth of his career. Vancouver outshot Edmonton 8-3 in the second period and had a pair of power plays but couldn't beat Dubnyk, whose best stop may have come early in the period when he denied Alexandre Burrows on a redirection. Luongo denied Hall's bid for a fourth goal with a spectacular blocker save midway through the third period. He also robbed Jordan Eberle from point-blank range with just under four minutes remaining. While he was obviously delighted to play most of the game with a four-goal lead, Krueger was also pleased that the Oilers never let the Canucks get back into the game.
Phoenix v San Jose 2-3 - Joe Pavelski remained red-hot Saturday, and so did the San Jose Sharks. Pavelski scored for the fourth straight game and added an assist, leading the Sharks to their fourth straight victory, a 3-2 shootout win against the Phoenix Coyotes at HP Pavilion. Logan Couture opened the shootout and beat goaltender Jason LaBarbera to his glove side for the only goal. Sharks goaltender Antti Niemi stopped Steve Sullivan, Radim Vrbata and Mikkel Boedker in the breakaway competition to help San Jose earn a second point in the standings. Defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic scored for the Sharks in the third period, on his 26th birthday, no less, and Niemi finished with 27 saves. With 40 points, the Sharks moved past the Detroit Red Wings (39) and into sixth place in the Western Conference, one point behind the Los Angeles Kings. They're six points ahead of Phoenix, their Pacific Division rival. Boyd Gordon and Vrbata scored for the Coyotes, who lost for the eighth time in their past nine game, and LaBarbera stopped 32 of 34 shots. Pavelski has scored all four goals during his streak since moving from a second-line wing to the third-line center, skating between Ryane Clowe and TJ Galiardi. His first three goals were at even strength, but his goal against Phoenix came on a power play at 10:24 of the second period, as the Sharks pulled even after Gordon put the Coyotes up 1-0 with a goal late in the first period. Vrbata put the Coyotes ahead 2-1 just 33 seconds into the third period. Wide open in the slot, Vrbata took a pass from Doan and ripped a shot that was denied by Niemi. But the Sharks’ goaltender couldn't control the rebound, and Vrbata moved in untouched for an easy goal, as defenseman Brent Burns got caught too low. But with just five minutes left in the third, Pavelski fired the puck at LaBarbera, and Vlasic rammed the rebound into the net, pulling the Sharks even at 2-2. The Sharks had a good chance to score midway through overtime when Burns hit Patrick Marleau just right of the crease with a pass, but he couldn't get the puck past LaBarbera. With just over a minute left, Coyotes forward Martin Hanzal intercepted a Joe Thornton pass deep in San Jose's zone but couldn't beat Niemi. Phoenix center Antoine Vermette misfired just seconds later, and the Coyotes didn't get a shot on goal during a power play that lasted the final 12.6 seconds of overtime. Niemi entered the game after back-to-back shutouts and had a shutout streak of 121 minutes and 40 seconds. But his streak ended at 136:23 when Gordon scored at 14:43 of the first period. Evgeni Nabokov still owns the franchise’s individual shutout streak record of 170:58, set during a span of four games from Jan. 20-31 in 2009. Niemi and Thomas Greiss combined to set the team shutout record of 190:51 from Jan. 23-Feb. 2, 2012. Niemi had a pair of shutouts during that four-game stretch. Phoenix grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first when Gordon ripped a rebound past Niemi from close range for his second goal of the season. Niemi had stopped a shot from Rob Klinkhammer, who controlled the puck behind the net and fired from just left of the crease, but Gordon beat him to the glove side. The Sharks outshot Phoenix 14-11 in the first period, but trailed 1-0 after 20 minutes. With No. 1 goaltender Mike Smith (upper body) on injured reserve, LaBarbera started against the Sharks for the second time this season. He gave up four goals when the Sharks beat Phoenix 5-3 in their home opener. Smith notched a 1-0 shutout against San Jose at HP Pavilion on Feb. 9 in a shootout. The Sharks finally broke through against LaBarbera and pulled even on Pavelski's power-play goal at 10:24 of the second period, with Gordon in the box after drawing a four-minute penalty for high-sticking Sharks defenseman Justin Braun. The Sharks played without defenseman Jason Demers, who showed up at HP Pavilion on Saturday morning "not feeling good," according to McLellan. That forced the Sharks to juggle their lineup and move Burns from top-line wing back to defense and insert forward Adam Burish back into the lineup in Burns' spot with Thornton and Martin Havlat. Burns had scored a goal in three straight games and had five goals and 10 points in nine games since moving to forward on March 12 against the St. Louis Blues. Demers took a hard hit Thursday from Detroit's Cory Emmerton, a possible reason for him being out, although McLellan provided no specifics. Phoenix defenseman Keith Yandle played his 400th NHL game, all with the Coyotes, who took him in the fourth round of the 2005 NHL Draft. Coyotes coach Dave Tippett remained one win shy of 150, but he was more concerned with the lost point.
Saturday, 30 March 2013
Sat, 30 Mar - Fixtures
Boston v Philadelphia 1pm ET
NY Islanders v Pittsburgh 1pm ET
Carolina v Winnipeg 3pm ET
Nashville v Colorado 3pm ET
Washington v Buffalo 7pm ET
NY Rangers v Montreal 7pm ET
Toronto v Ottawa 7pm ET
New Jersey v Florida 7.30pm ET
Los Angeles v Minnesota 8pm ET
Vancouver v Edmonton 10pm ET
Phoenix v San Jose 10.30pm ET
NY Islanders v Pittsburgh 1pm ET
Carolina v Winnipeg 3pm ET
Nashville v Colorado 3pm ET
Washington v Buffalo 7pm ET
NY Rangers v Montreal 7pm ET
Toronto v Ottawa 7pm ET
New Jersey v Florida 7.30pm ET
Los Angeles v Minnesota 8pm ET
Vancouver v Edmonton 10pm ET
Phoenix v San Jose 10.30pm ET
Gameday 70 (Fri, 29 Mar) - Results
New Jersey v Tampa Bay 4-5 - Steve Stamkos is one of the NHL's most feared
snipers. But the two-time Rocket Richard winner knows how to be a
playmaker as well. Stamkos could have tried for his third goal of the
night with time winding down in regulation and the Tampa
Bay Lightning scrambling for the tying goal against the New
Jersey Devils. Instead, he found a wide-open Alex
Killorn in the right circle for the tying goal with 15.1 seconds
left to force overtime, and shootout goals by Teddy
Purcell and Victor
Hedman gave the Lightning a 5-4 victory in new coach Jon Cooper's
debut behind the bench. Stamkos, the NHL leader with 25 goals after
his pair on Friday night, crossed up the defense with his perfect
feed. The Lightning trailed 2-0 and 4-2 as the Devils scored goals at
even strength, on a power play, shorthanded and on a penalty shot.
Purcell and Hedman then scored against Brodeur in the shootout while
Mathieu Garon
stopped Travis
Zajac and Patrik
Elias. The single point gave the seventh-place Devils a
three-point lead on the New York Rangers and Islanders in the Eastern
Conference playoff race. New Jersey is 2-6 in shootouts, including
0-3 with Brodeur, whose 42 wins in the tiebreaker are the second-most
all-time. The victory extended Tampa Bay's home winning streak to
four games. The Lightning (15-18-1) are four points out of the eighth
and final playoff berth. New Jersey [15-11-8] began the third period
with a 3-2 lead and promptly reopened a two-goal advantage for the
second time at 2:39 on an unassisted shorthanded goal by Ryan
Carter. He intercepted a pass from Stamkos and broke down the
left side, firing the puck behind Garon from the top of the left
circle. Stamkos' second goal of the game at 7:11 cut New Jersey's
advantage to 4-3. After a conservatively played and scoreless first
period, both teams opened up in the second, combining for 18 shots on
net and five goals. New Jersey opened the scoring 5:50 into the
period when Andrei
Loktionov took a drop pass from Matt
D'Agostini and beat Garon for his seventh goal of the season.
Andy Greene
also got an assist. Fifty-nine seconds later, New Jersey extended its
lead to 2-0 when Tom
Kostopoulos rifled a wrister past Garon on a penalty shot he was
awarded after Hedman hooked him from behind as he broke in alone.
That two-goal advantage disappeared quickly as Tampa Bay scored twice
in a span of 2:28. Stamkos knocked the puck out of the air and behind
Brodeur after the goaltender made a sprawling pad save on the first
scoring attempt. Keith
Aulie and St. Louis assisted. The equalizer came when Richard
Panik sent an airborne breakout pass from the Lightning defensive
zone that Nate
Thompson corralled as he broke between two defenders before
slipping slipped the puck into the net from Brodeur's left. It was
Thompson's seventh goal of the season. Greene put the Devils back in
front with a power-play goal at 13:58. Each goalie faced 25 shots and
made 21 saves. It was a rewarding night for Cooper, who was hired
Monday, one day after Guy Boucher was fired. The former coach of the
organization's AHL team watched the Lightning beat Buffalo on Tuesday
before taking over behind the bench Friday.
Anaheim v Chicago 2-1 - Maybe there should be a new favorite in the Western Conference. The Anaheim Ducks have stated their case emphatically. The Ducks stayed perfect this season against the first-place Chicago Blackhawks with a 2-1 win at United Center on Friday. Sheldon Souray scored the winner with 2:08 remaining in regulation and Jonas Hiller made 25 saves as Anaheim improved to 3-0-0 against Chicago and snapped its own four-game losing streak. Goalie Ray Emery took the loss for Chicago, his first in 13 decisions this season. The second-place Ducks, who needed third-period comebacks to beat the Blackhawks in their two previous meetings, moved within three points of Chicago in the Western Conference standings. More important, the Ducks swept the season series against the Blackhawks, and may own the mental edge over them as well. Chicago is 25-2-2 against every other team in the Western Conference, but just 0-2-1 against the Ducks. All three games have been tight, with Anaheim scoring in the waning moments of the third period to win in regulation or send the game to overtime. On Friday, the Blackhawks were also missing two of their stars, Marian Hossa and Patrick Sharp, due to injury. Ryan, though, was among several players in Anaheim's dressing room who didn't want to read too much into the significance of being perfect against Chicago in the regular season. The Ducks will try to build on their first win in five games against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena on Sunday. That precedes a three-game mini-series over a span of five days against the Dallas Stars, starting Monday in Texas. Chicago can at least take solace in the fact that all three games against the Ducks have been relatively even. However, losing all three, especially the way they lost them, stings and won't provide the Blackhawks much in the way of confidence should these teams clash in the playoffs, perhaps the Western Conference Finals. The Ducks have been at their best late in all of the games against Chicago. The only difference Friday night was their formula for success. Instead of pushing hard for a third-period comeback as they did in the previous two meetings, the Ducks had to overcome giving up a game-tying power-play goal to Patrick Kane just 2:26 into the third period, which came seconds after Emery robbed Daniel Winnik of a shorthanded goal with an athletic left foot save.
Anaheim v Chicago 2-1 - Maybe there should be a new favorite in the Western Conference. The Anaheim Ducks have stated their case emphatically. The Ducks stayed perfect this season against the first-place Chicago Blackhawks with a 2-1 win at United Center on Friday. Sheldon Souray scored the winner with 2:08 remaining in regulation and Jonas Hiller made 25 saves as Anaheim improved to 3-0-0 against Chicago and snapped its own four-game losing streak. Goalie Ray Emery took the loss for Chicago, his first in 13 decisions this season. The second-place Ducks, who needed third-period comebacks to beat the Blackhawks in their two previous meetings, moved within three points of Chicago in the Western Conference standings. More important, the Ducks swept the season series against the Blackhawks, and may own the mental edge over them as well. Chicago is 25-2-2 against every other team in the Western Conference, but just 0-2-1 against the Ducks. All three games have been tight, with Anaheim scoring in the waning moments of the third period to win in regulation or send the game to overtime. On Friday, the Blackhawks were also missing two of their stars, Marian Hossa and Patrick Sharp, due to injury. Ryan, though, was among several players in Anaheim's dressing room who didn't want to read too much into the significance of being perfect against Chicago in the regular season. The Ducks will try to build on their first win in five games against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena on Sunday. That precedes a three-game mini-series over a span of five days against the Dallas Stars, starting Monday in Texas. Chicago can at least take solace in the fact that all three games against the Ducks have been relatively even. However, losing all three, especially the way they lost them, stings and won't provide the Blackhawks much in the way of confidence should these teams clash in the playoffs, perhaps the Western Conference Finals. The Ducks have been at their best late in all of the games against Chicago. The only difference Friday night was their formula for success. Instead of pushing hard for a third-period comeback as they did in the previous two meetings, the Ducks had to overcome giving up a game-tying power-play goal to Patrick Kane just 2:26 into the third period, which came seconds after Emery robbed Daniel Winnik of a shorthanded goal with an athletic left foot save.
The Ducks overcame the swing in momentum for three
major reasons:
* Anaheim's top line of Ryan
Getzlaf, Ryan and Corey
Perry didn't give the Hawks a chance to use the momentum created
by Emery's save and Kane's subsequent goal because they spent nearly
30 seconds of the very next shift in the offensive zone and created a
couple of scoring chances.
* Hiller was perfect against all five shots
he faced over the final 17 1/2 minutes of regulation, but more
impressive was the Ducks' work in front of him to keep the slot clear
and scoring chances down.
* The Ducks intelligently funneled the puck
to Souray at the left point and he responded by using his 100
mile-per-hour shot to beat Emery for the winning goal. The quick
passing of Francois
Beauchemin to Getzlaf to Perry opened up a shooting lane for
Souray.
Other than the two points earned Friday, most
important to Anaheim was how it played in the first period. A strong
start was the Ducks' main point of emphasis heading into the game,
they had lost their previous four games in part because they were
outscored 9-1 in the first 20 minutes. Perry opened the scoring with
his 11th goal of the season just 75 seconds into the second period.
The Ducks carried the lead until Emery's save led to Kane's
game-tying power-play goal, but yet again they found a way to beat
the Blackhawks with a strong finish.
Minnesota v Dallas 3-5 -
Jaromir
Jagr got his 1,000th NHL assist. The Dallas
Stars got some revenge. Jagr became the 12th player in League
history to reach 1,000 assists and the Stars avenged a 7-4 home loss
to the Minnesota Wild four days earlier with a 5-3 victory Friday
night that snapped the Wild's seven-game winning streak. It was a big
change from Monday night, when the Stars started sloppily and fell
apart down the stretch. Jamie
Benn and Ray
Whitney each had a goal and an assist for Dallas, which got a
30-save performance by Kari
Lehtonen. Tomas
Vincour, Erik
Cole and Cody
Eakin also scored for Dallas, which blew open a 2-2 tie after 40
minutes by scoring three unanswered goals before the Wild's Torrey
Mitchell connected with 60 seconds remaining. After Cole scored
62 seconds into the final period to break the 2-2 tie, Jagr earned
his historic assist by feeding Whitney, whose pass set up Benn's
goal. The Stars struck first when with Dallas on the power play,
Whitney blasted a slapper from near the right circle over the blocker
of Wild goaltender Matt
Hackett at 4:14 of the first period to make it 1-0. Dallas got
the man advantage when Minnesota's Mikko
Koivu was whistled for hooking the Stars' Vernon
Fiddler, an infraction that sent the Dallas center careening into
the left goal post. Fiddler headed to the dressing room after playing
just two shifts and seeing just 1:21 of ice time with a lower-body
injury. He did not return to the ice. Hackett, who finished with 28
saves, was recalled from Houston of the American Hockey League on
Thursday and made his first NHL start of the season. Minnesota
decided to leave starter Niklas
Backstrom back in the Twin Cities so he could be fresh for
Saturday's visit from the Los Angeles Kings. Darcy
Kuemper served as Hackett's backup. Jamie
Benn, who won a faceoff in the right circle with Minnesota's Matt
Cullen, was credited with the primary assist. After winning the
draw, the puck fluttered over to the high slot and Whitney wasted
little time in scoring his sixth goal of the season. Dallas made it
2-0 at 7:31 when Vincour netted his second of the season by knocking
a deflection into an open net. Defenseman Aaron
Rome took the initial shot from the left point but his blast was
tipped by Dallas rookie Reilly
Smith. That deflection landed at the skates of Vincour, who
tapped the puck into the wide-open net. The Wild got one back when
Devin
Setoguchi scored his 12th of the season 1:12 before the first
intermission. Cullen picked off a lazy pass by Stars defenseman Alex
Goligoski deep in the Dallas zone, skated behind the Stars' net
and flipped a backhand pass to Setoguchi, who fired a short wrister
that sailed over Lehtonen's right shoulder. After one period, the
Stars led 2-1 and had outshot the Wild 17-7. Things were pretty quiet
in the second period until Minnesota went on the power play for the
first time at 14:44 when Dallas' Brenden
Dillon earned a roughing call for pushing Cullen. Minnesota
needed just 32 seconds to capitalize, as Jared
Spurgeon tapped in a rebound for his fifth of the season at 15:16
to tie the game. Lehtonen stopped an initial shot by Kyle
Brodziak with his pad, but Spurgeon corralled the rebound and
flicked a wrist shot off the far post and in. Hackett came up with
several big saves late in the second period to preserve the tie. He
denied Benn twice at close range within a two-second span, then
stopped a long slapper by Stephane
Robidas and capped the sequence by denying Eric
Nystrom's short wrister at the far post. Dallas went ahead to
stay 1:02 into the final period when Cole collected his own rebound
and fired it past Hackett for his sixth goal of the season. The Stars
regained a two-goal edge at 2:10 when Benn scored with Dallas on a
5-on-3 power play after Koivu took his second hooking penalty of the
night and Ryan
Suter was whistled for crosschecking. Eakin's short backhander
beat Hackett with 7:20 left to provide some insurance. Lehtonen had
to leave the ice at the start of the 5-on-3 power play due to an
equipment issue with backup Richard
Bachman filling in. However, Lehtonen returned to the Dallas net
with 15:38 left and finished the game. The 2:32 he spent in the net
earned Bachman the win because the eventual game-winner was scored
during his appearance. Things got ugly with 6:37 left when
Minnesota's Mike
Rupp flipped Smith into the Wild bench, sending Dallas' Antoine
Roussel zooming in to retaliate. Once everyone was separated,
Smith had earned a minor for roughing, Roussel a 10-minute misconduct
while Minnesota's Zenon
Konopka earned a double minor for roughing and a 10-minute
misconduct for his role in the fracas in front of the visiting bench.
With 5:11 left, the Wild's Justin
Falk and Nystrom, who spent the 2010-11 season in Minnesota,
dropped the gloves in front of the visiting bench.
Columbus v Calgary 6-4 - The Calgary
Flames ushered in the post-Jarome Iginla era. The Columbus
Blue Jackets managed to knock out the remaining face of the
Flames franchise. Columbus scored four times against Miikka
Kiprusoff in the second period, chasing the veteran goaltender in
a wild 6-4 victory at Scotiabank Saddledome on Friday night in
Calgary's first game without Iginla. Matt
Calvert, who had one of Columbus' four goals in the middle
period, admitted that facing an Iginla-less Flames team was a strange
experience. The loss ended Calgary's eight-game winning streak on
home ice and earned Columbus (14-14-7) a split in Alberta after
losing to the Edmonton Oilers 6-4 the night before. After the
unlikeliest of scorers, Brian
McGrattan, tied the game 1-1 for the Flames (13-16-4), Columbus
went to work in a defensively absent period that featured seven goals
and three successful odd-man rushes for the Blue Jackets. The first
came via R.J.
Umberger, who left Vinny
Prospal with a virtual tap-in after a crisp cross-ice pass to put
the Blue Jackets up 2-1 at 8:44. On Columbus' second 2-on-1 in just
over a minute, Calvert looked off the passing option before rifling a
shot over the glove of Kiprusoff at 10:12. As quickly as Columbus
built the lead, Calgary's Mikael
Backlund cut it. Just 57 seconds after Calvert's goal, Backlund
took a blocked Mark
Giordano shot and slid the puck through goalie Steve
Mason to bring the Flames to within 3-2 at 11:09. The Blue
Jackets' third odd-man rush of the period yielded their third goal
with 3:41 left. Prospal moved the puck to Mark
Letestu, who fed Derick
Brassard to give Columbus the 4-2 edge. Calgary's Dennis
Wideman cut the lead again 1:29 later, but Columbus was not done.
Ryan Johansen
stripped the puck off the stick of Stajan at center ice, deked
Kiprusoff and lifted the puck into the net for his second of the
season with 1:05 to go. Joey
MacDonald started the third period in place of Kiprusoff, who
allowed four goals on eight shots in the period and five on 20 shots
on the evening. After robbing Derek
MacKenzie with a diving save eight minutes into the period,
MacDonald followed it by denying Prospal on a breakaway attempt. The
saves led to Curtis
Glencross' 14th goal of the season; the Flames' leading scorer
sniped a shot over Mason's glove to cut the lead to 5-4 with 5:40
remaining. The Blue Jackets didn't waste any time welcoming Kiprusoff
and the Flames to life without Iginla, who was traded to the
Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday, directing eight shots on the Calgary
goaltender in the first eight minutes. A shorthanded effort on the
ninth shot gave the Blue Jackets a 1-0 lead. Retrieving the puck
after a Columbus clear, Calgary defenseman TJ
Brodie curled around the net after a speedy forecheck from
MacKenzie. Under pressure, Brodie threw the puck into the slot to
what he thought was a waiting teammate, but instead it found Letestu,
who wasted little time deking a surprised Kiprusoff and sliding the
puck into the net at 10:20 for the unassisted tally and the only goal
of the first period.
Friday, 29 March 2013
Fri, 29 Mar - Fixtures
New Jersey v Tampa Bay 7.30pm ET
Anaheim v Chicago 8.30pm ET
Minnesota v Dallas 8.30pm ET
Columbus v Calgary 9pm ET
Anaheim v Chicago 8.30pm ET
Minnesota v Dallas 8.30pm ET
Columbus v Calgary 9pm ET
Gameday 69 (Thu, 27 Mar) - Results
Carolina v Toronto 3-6 - If there were one word to describe Phil
Kessel, it might well be "shooter." Kessel has one of
the hardest and most accurate shots in the NHL. But he's more than
just a gunner, he also takes delight in setting up his linemates, and
his ability to hit the open man is an underrated part of his game.
Kessel's passing ability was on display Thursday night when he
registered two assists as the Toronto
Maple Leafs moved a step closer to their first playoff berth
since 2004 by beating the Carolina
Hurricanes 6-3. The game was actually a lot closer than the final
score suggests, as the Maple Leafs scored twice into the empty net
after Joffrey
Lupul's goal with 3:10 left in regulation snapped a 3-3 tie.
Kessel's two assists give him 24 on the season to go with 10 goals,
and his 34 points are moving him toward the League's top 10 scorers.
The 25-year-old finished sixth in in the NHL in scoring last season.
The Maple Leafs went back to the lines they used at the start of
Tuesday's game against the Florida Panthers and the move paid early
dividends when the trio of Tyler
Bozak, Kessel and James
van Riemsdyk struck just 3:58 into the opening period. Van
Riemsdyk corralled the puck at the left side of the Carolina net and
made a nifty behind-the-back pass to Kessel, who immediately relayed
it to Bozak at the far side of the goal. Bozak scored easily on a
bewildered Justin
Peters for his 10th goal of the season. Kessel had a glorious
opportunity to put the Maple Leafs up by two five minutes later when
he blew past flat-footed defender Jay
Harrison and broke in alone, only to fail on his attempt to beat
Peters on the forehand with a shot aimed at the five-hole. Toronto
defenseman Cody
Franson did give the Maple Leafs a 2-0 lead at 9:03 of the second
period with his third goal of the season, and again it was Kessel
setting up the play. After taking a pass at the left point from
Phaneuf, Kessel directed a perfect cross-ice pass to Franson, who was
breaking toward the net from the right point. Franson easily drilled
a low snap shot past Peters. Carolina, which had beaten Toronto in
its previous two meetings this season, roared back with three
straight goals and appeared to be primed to hand the Maple Leafs a
third defeat. Eric
Staal scored a nifty shorthanded goal on a breakaway at 11:29,
beating Toronto's James
Reimer through the five-hole, and Alexander
Semin tied it at 15:52 during a power play with a seeing-eye shot
to the top corner that Reimer had no chance on. Jordan
Staal, Eric's younger brother, gave the Hurricanes their first
lead the lead when he drove hard to the net off the right-wing boards
and snapped a shot over Reimer's right shoulder at 6:55 of the third
period. But the Maple Leafs, riding a three-game winning streak on
home ice, didn't give up. Phaneuf tied it at 14:35 with his seventh
of the season and second in as many games, beating Peters with a
blast from the point. then Joffrey
Lupul brought the crowd to its feet with an end-to-end dash that
concluded with the speedy left wing cutting to the net and slipping a
shot into the far side of the net past Peters. It was Lupul's seventh
goal in eight games this season, all seven have come in the five
games since he returned from a broken arm March 16. Jay
McClement and Nikolai
Kulemin hit the empty net for the Maple Leafs. While Toronto
appears primed to make its first post-season appearance in nine
years, Carolina has dropped eight in a row and is fading in the
Eastern Conference standings. Jordan
Staal, in his first year with the Hurricanes after winning a
Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009, said losing a game
after scoring three straight goals to take the lead is frustrating.
NY Islanders v Philadelphia 4-3 - The New York Islanders didn't let a two-goal deficit or a blown lead in the final seconds of regulation keep them from leaving Wells Fargo Center with a much-needed two points. Josh Bailey's goal in the fourth round of the shootout gave the Islanders a 4-3 victory against the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday for their first three-game winning streak of the season. The Islanders overcame an early 2-0 deficit and went ahead 3-2 late in the third period on a pair of goals by fourth-line forward Colin McDonald. But New York's Frans Nielsen was called for a faceoff violation with 1:30 left in regulation, and Philadelphia's Scott Hartnell whacked home a rebound with 29.8 seconds remaining to send the game into overtime. After a scoreless five minutes, Philadelphia's Claude Giroux and New York's Brad Boyes scored in the second round of the tiebreaker. Evgeni Nabokov stopped two shots, and Ilya Bryzgalov denied John Tavares before Bailey ended the game by ripping a wrist shot into the right corner. The Islanders continue to thrive away from Nassau Coliseum, where their 6-11-2 record is among the worst home marks in the NHL. Thursday's victory followed a 3-2 win at the Washington Capitals on Tuesday and lifted their road record to 10-4-2. The Islanders (16-15-3) are ninth in the Eastern Conference with 35 points. The eighth-place New York Rangers, who lost to the Ottawa Senators 3-0 on Thursday, also have 35 but have played one fewer game. The Flyers, who couldn't hold an early lead after Hartnell and Mike Knuble scored in the first period, fell to 13-17-2. They're on the verge of missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2007. The Flyers came out far more spirited than they did for Tuesday's 5-2 home loss to the Rangers and grabbed the lead by capitalizing on their first power play. With Islanders defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky off for interference, Hartnell took a pass from Giroux in the left circle and misfired on a wrist shot. But the fluttering puck fooled Nabokov and knuckled into the far corner at 4:14 for Hartnell's third of the season. The Islanders rebounded by putting plenty of pressure on Bryzgalov, taking eight consecutive shots at one point. But the Flyers turned a giveaway during a line change into the game's second goal. New York defenseman Thomas Hickey threw a pass to no one in particular from just outside his blue line; Giroux grabbed it and raced in on a quick 2-on-1 with Knuble. The 40-year-old forward took Giroux's perfect pass, deked Nabokov and slid a backhander into a wide-open net at 17:25 for his third of the season. The Islanders, who were blanked 7-0 at home by Bryzgalov and the Flyers on Presidents Day, finally put a puck past him, but Andrew MacDonald's blast crossed the goal line about a half-second before the first period ran out, sending the Flyers off with a 2-0 lead. New York finally got one that counted with 60 seconds left in the second period. After some sustained pressure by the Islanders, Tavares grabbed the puck in the lower right circle and backhanded it toward the slot, where it hit the skate of Flyers defenseman Luke Schenn and went into the net. It was Tavares' 21st of the season; only Tampa Bay Lightning forward Steven Stamkos (23) has more. McDonald tied the game at 10:04 of the third, firing a pass from Keith Aucoin behind Bryzgalov, and gave the Islanders the lead with 4:23 left in regulation when he picked up a deflected clearing pass and ripped a slapper from the high slot that ticked the skate of Flyers defenseman Bruno Gervais and went into the net. The Islanders continue their road trip Saturday afternoon, when they'll try to end the Pittsburgh Penguins' 14-game winning streak.
Winnipeg v Pittsburgh 0-4 - Talk about the perfect month. Not only have the Pittsburgh Penguins added two former captains to their already star-studded lineup, they're one victory away from capping the only perfect full month the NHL has ever seen. Pascal Dupuis scored two goals, Tomas Vokoun made 20 saves for his 50th career shutout and the Penguins dominated the Winnipeg Jets 4-0 Thursday night for their 14th consecutive victory. Should Pittsburgh win at home Saturday against the New York Islanders, it would cap the only calendar month of at least 10 games without a loss or tie by a team in NHL history. Evgeni Malkin had a goal in his return from a nine-game injury absence, and Chris Kunitz scored for Eastern Conference-leading Pittsburgh (27-8-0), which extended its home winning streak to a franchise record-tying 11 games. The Penguins shut out an opponent for the second consecutive game and have allowed nine goals in their past 10 contests. Pittsburgh is on the verge of adding another great player. Jarome Iginla, acquired in a trade with the Calgary Flames early Thursday morning, did not join the Penguins in time for this game. Though coach Dan Bylsma called his top line of Kunitz, Dupuis and NHL scoring leader Crosby "the best line in hockey" and vowed to keep it together, speculation abounds that Iginla will skate on Crosby's wing. That makes sense, Iginla has 525 career goals and was on Crosby's line at the 2010 Winter Olympics. Dupuis, though, seemingly won't give up the coveted spot without a fight, even as he politely and steadfastly maintains he'll play anywhere with anyone. Dupuis scored 4:12 into the second period off assists from Kunitz and Crosby to tie Tampa Bay Lightning forward Steven Stamkos for the NHL lead with 15 even-strength goals. Dupuis added his 17th overall with 1:23 to play in the second, his NHL-high eighth shorthanded goal over the past three seasons. Dupuis' second goal was his 200th point with the Penguins. He just missed his second career hat trick 4-1/2 minutes into the third when his redirection of Matt Niskanen's slap-pass went wide of a vast expanse of open net. Dupuis hit the post late in the first period during the same shift that Malkin eventually scored his sixth of the season, his second since Feb. 20. Malkin missed 13 of the previous 16 games with a concussion (four games) and a shoulder injury (nine games). Crosby had another assist on Kunitz's goal that opened the scoring 15:03 into the game. Crosby's blind backhand backward pass from below the goal line onto the tape of Kunitz's stick was arguably the prettiest of his League-leading 41 assists this season. Kunitz's goal was his 20th, the third consecutive season and the fifth time in his career he's had at least that many. Winnipeg goalie Ondrej Pavelec did not start for the first time in 12 games. He started both of the Jets' games at Consol Energy Center last season, in which the Penguins scored eight times each. Al Montoya made his first start since March 7, second since Feb. 9, and had 39 saves in defeat. Vokoun came on in relief of Marc-Andre Fleury at the start of the third period of Tuesday's 1-0 win against the Montreal Canadiens. Fleury sustained an upper-body injury that kept him out of Thursday's game. He took part in the morning skate and said he felt OK, but the team recalled Jeff Zatkoff from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League in the afternoon. Vokoun extended his personal winning streak to six. In his past six appearances, Vokoun has a 0.80 goals-against average and a .971 save percentage. He is the 26th NHL goalie to record 50 shutouts. One of Vokoun's best saves was stopping Kyle Wellwood on a partial breakaway with 7:42 to play. Vokoun, who has two shutouts this season, also turned aside two shots during 1:56 of Winnipeg 5-on-3 time early in the third. The Penguins have not allowed a goal in their past 148:24 of play. Douglas Murray was part of that penalty-killing effort in his Penguins debut. The hulking defenseman, acquired in a trade from the San Jose Sharks on Monday, registered three hits, a blocked shot, two shots on goal, and a plus-1 rating in 18:20 of ice time. Former Dallas Stars captain Brenden Morrow played 14:38 in his second game with the Penguins after coming over in a trade Sunday. The winning streak is the tied for the third-longest in NHL history. The Mario Lemieux-led Penguins had a record 17-game run going at this time 20 years ago. Crosby has 11 points in a six-game point streak and a 12-point lead over Kunitz for the League scoring lead. The Crosby-Kunitz-Dupuis line has combined for 32 goals over the past 17 games. The Penguins have won 12 in a row at home against the Jets franchise, which maintained its six-point lead in the Southeast Division.
NY Rangers v Ottawa 0-3 - Even with all their injuries, the Ottawa Senators still have the New York Rangers' number. Ben Bishop stopped 24 shots for his first shutout of the season as the Senators beat the Rangers 3-0 on Thursday night for their fourth consecutive victory. Andre Benoit scored late in the second period to put Ottawa ahead to stay, Guillaume Latendresse beat Henrik Lundqvist with 7:44 left in regulation and Colin Greening hit the empty net with 2:02 remaining to wrap up the Senators' fifth consecutive victory against the Rangers. Bishop outplayed Lundqvist, the reigning Vezina Trophy winner, who turned away 26 shots. Lundqvist is just 3-5-1 in his last nine games, and perplexed by his team's continuing struggles. The Senators, despite missing Erik Karlsson, Jason Spezza, Milan Michalek and starting goaltender Craig Anderson, improved to 19-9-6 and are fifth in the Eastern Conference. The Rangers (16-14-3) are tied for the final playoff berth with the Islanders at 35 points, though the Rangers have a game in hand. After a defense-oriented first few minutes, the Rangers nearly took the lead midway through the first period when Derek Stepan's pass from behind the Ottawa net found Rick Nash, who backhanded the puck across the high slot to Carl Hagelin. But Hagelin fired wide from just inside the left circle. New York got another great opportunity when Patrick Wiercioch turned the puck over in the right corner to New York's Kris Newbury, who was skating up the slot. But Bishop got his pad on Newbury's wrister and did the same to Ryan Callahan's wrist shot after the Rangers' captain picked off Eric Condra's attempted clear. Ottawa's best chance in the first came late in the period when Kyle Turris passed across the offensive zone to Eric Gryba, but the rookie defenseman's wrist shot from inside the right circle wound up in Lundqvist's glove. The Senators had a 2-on-1 chance early in the second period, but Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh broke up Jacob Silfverberg's pass. Lundqvist sprawled across the crease near the 12-minute mark to keep Condra from burying a rebound. The Senators finally broke through with 48.8 seconds left in the period. With Anton Stralman off for tripping Mike Hoffman, Mika Zibanejad passed to Benoit, who one-timed a blast from the blue line through traffic and past Lundqvist for his second of the season. McDonagh had a great chance to tie the game early in the third period when McDonagh was left open in the left circle with plenty of net to shoot at and Bishop out of position. But the 6-foot-7 goaltender dove across the net to make the save with his blocker. Latendresse gave Ottawa some breathing room when he finished off a feed from Zibanejad for his fourth goal in six games. Zibanejad has five helpers during a four-game assist streak. The line of Latendresse, Zibanejad and Silfverberg has been paying offensive dividends for the Senators. Silfverberg also had an assist on Latendresse's goal, giving him one goal and two helpers in his last three games. However, Latendresse knows the trio's role isn't just about putting pucks in the net. With the Rangers barely clinging to the final playoff berth in the East, coach John Tortorella admitted that the loss on Thursday was aggravating.
Buffalo v Florida 4-5 - Jonathan Huberdeau listened to some advice from an injured teammate, and it paid immediate dividends. The Florida Panthers' rookie sensation snapped a nine-game goal drought with a game-tying power-play tally with 6:09 left in regulation, then scored in the shootout as his team rallied to beat the Buffalo Sabres 5-4 on Thursday night at BB&T Center. Huberdeau's goal was his 13th of the season, tops among NHL rookies. Huberdeau, who hadn't scored since March 8 against the Winnipeg Jets, couldn't remember the last time he had gone that long without a goal at any level. Huberdeau's goal came in the second round of the shootout and was awarded after the play was reviewed, as the puck barely crossed the goal line. He scored after Buffalo captain Jason Pominville had given the Sabres a 1-0 lead on the opening attempt of the tiebreaker. Florida won the shootout in the fourth round when Mike Santorelli beat Ryan Miller with a backhand-to-forehand deke and a high shot. The goal was Santorelli's ninth in 18 career shootout attempts. Thursday marked the second consecutive meeting between the teams that went to a shootout. The Sabres won 4-3 at BB&T Center on Feb. 28, 25 days after the Panthers won 4-3 at Buffalo. The Panthers improved to 2-1 in shootouts this season, although they're 0-5 in games ending in overtime. Buffalo is now 4-3 in shootouts. Florida sent the game to OT after squandering a 2-0 lead, then coming back from two one-goal deficits in the third period. Shawn Matthias scored twice in regulation for the Panthers, giving him nine goals in his past 15 games. Matthias has 12 goals on the season, topping his previous career high of 10 accomplished in 79 games last season. Tomas Fleischmann had the other goal for Florida, which snapped a three-game losing streak and won at home for the first time since March 5. Peter Mueller and Brian Campbell each had two assists. Florida goalie Jacob Markstrom stopped 36 shots in regulation and overtime, and all four goals against him came off deflections. Nathan Gerbe, Andrej Sekera, Drew Stafford and Marcus Foligno scored for the Sabres, who were swept on a two-game Florida trip for the fifth time in 28 sets of back-to-back games against the Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning. They dropped a 2-1 decision in Tampa on Tuesday. Sekera was back in the lineup Thursday after missing five games with an upper-body injury. Stafford had been a healthy scratch the previous two. Miller, who was in net for Tuesday's loss against the Lightning, made 36 saves. Buffalo erased a 2-0 deficit in the second period with three unanswered goals, which matched their output of their previous two games combined. They accomplished this despite playing without leading scorer Thomas Vanek, who's out with an upper-body injury. Along with Vanek, the Sabres also played the last two periods without left wing Ville Leino, who was benched by coach Ron Rolston after being penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct with 40 seconds left in the first period for berating an official. The Panthers took advantage when Fleischmann scored on the ensuing power play 43 seconds into the second period to give Florida a 2-0 lead. One positive note for Buffalo was the performance of Stafford, who had an assist along with his goal and had five shots. Buffalo led 3-2 before Matthias evened it 5:23 into the third on a play that was set up by his hustle. He poked the puck away from Steve Ott from behind in the Buffalo zone, and Mueller fired a shot that was stopped by Miller before Matthias put home the rebound. After Foligno scored a power-play goal at 11:33 when he deflected Jordan Leopold's shot from the point past Markstrom, Huberdeau tied it again with a power-play goal when he one-timed Mueller's feed in front of the net past Miller.
Los Angeles v St Louis 4-2 - The Los Angeles Kings have gone into two tough buildings in a row and come up with key goals late in regulation to leave with two points. On Monday, it was Dustin Brown scoring with less than two minutes to give L.A. a victory at Chicago. Three nights later, it was Mike Richards' turn to be the hero, he stuffed a puck past Jaroslav Halak with 2:43 remaining to break a tie as the Kings beat the St. Louis Blues 4-2. The play went to review, as Halak had his skate up against the post. Jeff Carter did lift the goal from behind before the puck got stuffed in but it was determined to be a good goal, as Richards outworked the Blues' Andy McDonald. Justin Williams added an empty-netter with 1:16 remaining to seal the win for the Kings (19-12-2). It used to be that the Blues had L.A.'s number, but the tide has turned heavily in favor of the Kings in recent meetings. Brown and Trevor Lewis also scored for the Kings, who won for the fourth time in six games while beating the Blues for the eighth straight time, including four wins in a second-round playoff sweep last spring. They've outscored the Blues 29-13 in that stretch. The Kings grabbed the two crucial points in the standings, giving them 40 on the season. Vladimir Tarasenko scored both goals for the Blues (17-14-2) and Halak stopped 36 shots, the 39 shots he faced were the most he's seen in any of his 15 appearances this season. The loss was the Blues' fourth in five games, and since they don't play again until Monday, they could end the weekend outside of the top eight in the Western Conference looking in. They came into the game in seventh place. The Kings outshot the Blues 13-7 in the opening period but Halak's goaltending kept them off the board. The Kings had the best scoring chances following two Blues turnovers. Jarret Stoll fired high on a breakaway attempt with 9:49 remaining after a Steen turnover towards the end of a Blues power play, and Halak made a right pad stop on Richards' backhand attempt on a semi-break down the right side following McDonald's turnover. Brown gave the Kings a 1-0 lead when he was able to convert a rebound of a Kopitar chance 4:42 into the second period. Halak made stops on Rob Scuderi and Kopitar on the doorstep, but the puck got to Brown on the opposite side of the net. The Blues tied it at 10:55, with Tarasenko scoring his first in 10 games when he connected for a power-play goal, the Blues' first man advantage goal in five games. The Russian rookie followed up his own rebound after getting a feed in the slot from David Perron. Jonathan Quick, who stopped 20 shots, made the initial save but left a rebound in the slot. The goal broke a 106:07 scoring drought for the Blues dating back to Saturday at Edmonton. But the Kings reestablished the lead when Lewis was able to outwork Wade Redden at the side of the Blues goal after a dump-in by Stoll and beat Halak with a near-side backhand just 1:53 after the Blues tied it. Tarasenko equalized the game again for the Blues, as he followed up Alex Pietrangelo's one-timer and stuffed the puck past Quick from just off the goal line. Tarasenko, coming off the right half-wall, beat Scuderi to the position and finished it off 6:44 into the third. The Kings were able to get a Brown winner with 1:27 remaining to beat the Blackhawks 5-4 on Monday. Richards' first goal in eight games pushed the Kings into fifth place, pending Detroit's game with San Jose Thursday night.
Phoenix v Nashville 7-4 - For one glorious period, the Phoenix Coyotes' offensive struggles were a thing of the past. Their seven-game losing streak is over as well. Radim Vrbata scored twice in the Coyotes' six-goal opening period, and Phoenix went on to defeat the Nashville Predators 7-4 Thursday for their first victory since March 12. Phoenix (14-15-5) came into the game having scored eight goals during an 0-6-1 slide that has dropped them out of the top eight in the Western Conference. But they sent Vezina Trophy finalist Pekka Rinne to the bench less than four minutes into the game while grabbing a 3-0 lead. Nashville (14-14-6) saw its three-game winning streak emphatically ended. The Coyotes led 3-0 almost before the fans at Bridgestone Arena had settled into their seats. Martin Hanzal scored an unassisted goal at 1:46; Vrbata made it 2-0 at 3:42 on a backhand wraparound; and David Moss hammered in a rebound eight seconds later. That brought a goaltending change for Nashville, with Chris Mason replacing Rinne. It didn't help, Matthew Lombardi scored his 100th NHL goal at 7:08, and Keith Yandle connected for a power-play goal on a one-timer at 8:26. Nashville finally got on the board at 9:03 when David Legwand beat Jason LaBarbera, and Rich Clune made it 6-2, 30 seconds later. Vrbata scored his second of the night at 15:57 on a bad-angle screen shot from the left boards near the goal line, only to see Gabriel Bourque tip a shot past LaBarbera 32 seconds later to cut the margin to 6-3. The Coyotes scored six times on 13 shots in the opening period; defenseman Rostislav Klesla assisted on four of the six goals. Nashville had three goals on 17 shots. The six goals ties the most scored in one period in the League this season; the San Jose Sharks scored six times in the first period at the Edmonton Oilers on Jan. 22. The six goals matched Nashville's franchise record for most goals against in one period. Rinne re-entered the game for the second period and was beaten by Antoine Vermette at 2:44 to make it 7-3. LaBarbera, playing in place of injured starter Mike Smith, allowed a goal to Shea Weber midway through the third period and finished with 34 saves. Coyotes forward Steve Sullivan, a former Predators player, was honored for his 1,000th NHL game.
Columbus v Edmonton 4-6 - The Columbus Blue Jackets learned that playing run-and-gun hockey with the Edmonton Oilers isn't a good idea. The Blue Jackets scored 10 seconds after the opening faceoff Thursday and had leads of 2-0, 3-2 and 4-3. But they couldn't slow down the Oilers, who got a goal and two assists from Sam Gagner as they rallied for a 6-4 victory at Rexall Place. Ales Hemsky scored the go-ahead goal with 3:08 remaining in regulation, beating Columbus goalie Sergei Bobrovsky through the five-hole on the return rush after Edmonton's Devan Dubnyk robbed Cam Atkinson's bid for a hat trick. Gagner hit the empty net in the final minute, and the Oilers (13-13-7) pulled even with the Blue Jackets (13-14-7) in the Western Conference standings. Columbus, Edmonton, Dallas and Phoenix all have 33 points, three behind the eighth-place St. Louis Blues. Bobrovsky, whose goaltending fueled Columbus' recent 8-0-4 run, had a tough night, he allowed five goals on 24 shots. Richards said his team's inability to manage the puck was a bigger reason for the loss. The game couldn't have started better for Columbus. Atkinson scored on a one-timer before the echoes of "O, Canada" had subsided, then set up Matt Calvert's goal at 12:04 of the first period to give Columbus a 2-0 lead. But Magnus Paajarvi scored on a backhander late in the period to get the Oilers on the board, and Jordan Eberle stepped through the defense before flipping the puck past Bobrovsky 39 seconds into the middle period to make it 2-2. Calvert appeared to get his second of the night with just under three minutes left in the second when a rebound bounced off Nikolai Khabibulin and hit the Columbus forward's skate as he was being driven into the net; however, a video review waved off the goal, saying Calvert used his skate to kick the puck into the net. But Artem Anisimov got a goal that counted with 1:26 left in the period, beating Khabibulin from the right circle, to put the Blue Jackets back in front. The lead lasted 31 seconds before Oilers captain Shawn Horcoff tied the game again by finishing off a pass by Nail Yakupov. Atkinson got the Blue Jackets off to a fast start in the third period and ended Khabibulin's night by scoring 27 seconds after intermission, but Corey Potter's shot from the blue line somehow went through the five-hole on Bobrovsky at 3:00 to get the Oilers even again.
Colorado v Vancouver 1-4 - Reunited after a couple of games apart and a few more in which they struggled, the Vancouver Canucks' top line had a chat before the game on Thursday. Alexandre Burrows and Daniel and Henrik Sedin talked about not trying to force the issue offensively, about taking care of their defensive responsibilities first, and letting the scoring chances come to them at the other end. Against the Colorado Avalanche it usually does. Burrows scored the opening goal early and set up Daniel Sedin's game-winner with 8:28 left to lead Vancouver to a 4-1 victory. Henrik Sedin and Chris Higgins added empty-net goals, and the top line finished with six points as the Canucks improved to 18-0-2 against Colorado during the past 3 1/2 years. After jumping out to a 1-0 lead an 8-1 shot advantage the first nine minutes, the Canucks were being outshot 21-7 when Colorado's Matt Duchene tied it 4:02 into the third period. But the top line put the Canucks back in front off an offensive-zone faceoff that went from the point down to Burrows in the left corner and quickly into the high slot to Daniel Sedin for a quick wrist shot through Henrik's screen beat Avalanche goalie Semyon Varlamov between the legs. If not for Cory Schneider, the Avalanche would have tied the game a lot sooner. Schneider made the best of his 32 saves in the second half of a first period that ended with 10 straight shots by Colorado, turning aside point-blank opportunities for Jamie McGinn and PA Parenteau, and robbing Milan Hejduk alone in tight. Schneider has allowed just six goals during a six-game winning streak that put the Canucks two points ahead of the Minnesota Wild atop the Northwest Division. He even got an assist on Henrik's empty net goal with 1:24 left to play. Before the streak, Schneider had one win in five games and watched Roberto Luongo start four straight, but he used that time to tighten up his game. Varlamov finished with 16 saves for the Avalanche, who have lost four straight, eight of nine, and are 2-12-3 on the road this season. Upset after falling behind 2-0 and being dominated in the first period of a 4-3 loss to the Calgary Flames the night before, the Avalanche were down 1-0 early against the Canucks after some pretty passing from the Sedins. A point shot was blocked in the high slot, but bounced to Daniel. He spun into a blind backhand pass across the ice to Henrik, who one-touched it back the other way, stranding Varlamov and leaving Burrows with an empty net. It was the second goal in seven games for Burrows and snapped a skid that saw the Sedins record one assist combined in the past four games. They were perhaps guilty of thinking those goals might come too easy against Colorado. After a Burrows holding penalty, the Avalanche recorded the final 10 shots of the period, finishing with a 32-12 shot advantage over the final 51 minutes. Colorado had a great chance to defeat Vancouver in regulation for the first time in a long time on the power play a few minutes later. But Schneider turned aside Erik Johnson alone in the slot, and Daniel Sedin restored the lead two minutes later, giving the Canucks 10 straight wins against the Avalanche. It just wasn't enough to end a much longer slump against the Canucks.
Detroit v San Jose 0-2 - Another night, another shutout for San Jose Sharks goaltender Antti Niemi. Niemi stopped 27 shots for his second shutout in as many nights as the Sharks beat the Detroit Red Wings 2-0 at HP Pavilion on Thursday. Niemi, who made 22 saves in a 4-0 victory against Anaheim on Wednesday, posted consecutive shutouts for the third time in his NHL career, all as a Shark. Two seasons ago, he blanked the Boston Bruins on Feb. 5, 2011, and the Washington Capitals three days later, both on the road. Last season he shut out the Calgary Flames on the road, just before the All-Star break. A week later, he shut out the Columbus Blue Jackets at home. This marked the first time in his career that Niemi posted shutouts on back-to-back nights and the first time that's happened in Sharks history. Joe Pavelski and Brent Burns scored for the Sharks, who won their third straight game, their longest streak since winning seven straight to open the season, and have won the first two games on their seven-game home stand. Pavelski and Burns each scored a goal for the third straight game, helping the Sharks climb into sole possession of seventh place in the Western Conference with 38 points, two points ahead of the St. Louis Blues and one behind Detroit. Detroit's three-game winning streak came to the end, but the Red Wings finished their four-game road trip with a 3-1-0 record, grabbing six of a possible eight points. Red Wings goaltender Jimmy Howard stopped 22 of 24 shots. Pavelski gave the Sharks a 1-0 lead at 18:59 of the first period with his 10th goal of the season. He scored for the third straight game since being switched from a second-line wing to a third-line center. Linemates Ryane Clowe and TJ Galiardi each earned an assist on the goal. Pavelski won a battle for the puck along the boards behind the net and scored on a wraparound shot that bounced off Detroit defenseman Niklas Kronwall's skate and past Howard. Kronwall and the Red Wings, who had their five-game road winning streak snapped, were on the wrong side of that bounce. After a scoreless second period, Burns gave the Sharks some breathing room at 2:07 of the third. The goal was Burns' fifth of the season; all of them have come since he was switched from a defenseman to a right wing on March 12 against St. Louis. He has 10 points in nine games as a top-line forward. Joe Thornton earned the assist after taking the puck away from defenseman Brian Lashoff deep in Detroit's zone and passing the puck to Burns, who ripped a shot over Howard's glove and inside the right post. Both teams played a remarkably clean game. The first and only penalty of the game didn't come until just 9:16 remained when Sharks forward TJ Galiardi was called for hooking. For the first time in Sharks history, an opponent went an entire game without a penalty. The one penalty and two penalty minutes set Sharks records for fewest combined penalties and penalty minutes. The Red Wings had scored at least one power-play goal in eight straight games before Thursday, but the Sharks killed that power play with Niemi making a handful of saves, including on a shot from Henrik Zetterberg from close range. Niemi improved to 9-2-2 all-time against Detroit, a team he often faced while playing for the Chicago Blackhawks and one that usually brings the best out of him. When the Sharks and Red Wings met on Feb. 28 in San Jose, they combined for just two goals with Detroit winning 2-1 in a shootout. The rematch had much the same feel with neither team able to generate much offense or good scoring chances. Red Wings forward Johan Franzen left the game in the second period with a lower-body injury and did not return. Babcock had no update on his condition.
NY Islanders v Philadelphia 4-3 - The New York Islanders didn't let a two-goal deficit or a blown lead in the final seconds of regulation keep them from leaving Wells Fargo Center with a much-needed two points. Josh Bailey's goal in the fourth round of the shootout gave the Islanders a 4-3 victory against the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday for their first three-game winning streak of the season. The Islanders overcame an early 2-0 deficit and went ahead 3-2 late in the third period on a pair of goals by fourth-line forward Colin McDonald. But New York's Frans Nielsen was called for a faceoff violation with 1:30 left in regulation, and Philadelphia's Scott Hartnell whacked home a rebound with 29.8 seconds remaining to send the game into overtime. After a scoreless five minutes, Philadelphia's Claude Giroux and New York's Brad Boyes scored in the second round of the tiebreaker. Evgeni Nabokov stopped two shots, and Ilya Bryzgalov denied John Tavares before Bailey ended the game by ripping a wrist shot into the right corner. The Islanders continue to thrive away from Nassau Coliseum, where their 6-11-2 record is among the worst home marks in the NHL. Thursday's victory followed a 3-2 win at the Washington Capitals on Tuesday and lifted their road record to 10-4-2. The Islanders (16-15-3) are ninth in the Eastern Conference with 35 points. The eighth-place New York Rangers, who lost to the Ottawa Senators 3-0 on Thursday, also have 35 but have played one fewer game. The Flyers, who couldn't hold an early lead after Hartnell and Mike Knuble scored in the first period, fell to 13-17-2. They're on the verge of missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2007. The Flyers came out far more spirited than they did for Tuesday's 5-2 home loss to the Rangers and grabbed the lead by capitalizing on their first power play. With Islanders defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky off for interference, Hartnell took a pass from Giroux in the left circle and misfired on a wrist shot. But the fluttering puck fooled Nabokov and knuckled into the far corner at 4:14 for Hartnell's third of the season. The Islanders rebounded by putting plenty of pressure on Bryzgalov, taking eight consecutive shots at one point. But the Flyers turned a giveaway during a line change into the game's second goal. New York defenseman Thomas Hickey threw a pass to no one in particular from just outside his blue line; Giroux grabbed it and raced in on a quick 2-on-1 with Knuble. The 40-year-old forward took Giroux's perfect pass, deked Nabokov and slid a backhander into a wide-open net at 17:25 for his third of the season. The Islanders, who were blanked 7-0 at home by Bryzgalov and the Flyers on Presidents Day, finally put a puck past him, but Andrew MacDonald's blast crossed the goal line about a half-second before the first period ran out, sending the Flyers off with a 2-0 lead. New York finally got one that counted with 60 seconds left in the second period. After some sustained pressure by the Islanders, Tavares grabbed the puck in the lower right circle and backhanded it toward the slot, where it hit the skate of Flyers defenseman Luke Schenn and went into the net. It was Tavares' 21st of the season; only Tampa Bay Lightning forward Steven Stamkos (23) has more. McDonald tied the game at 10:04 of the third, firing a pass from Keith Aucoin behind Bryzgalov, and gave the Islanders the lead with 4:23 left in regulation when he picked up a deflected clearing pass and ripped a slapper from the high slot that ticked the skate of Flyers defenseman Bruno Gervais and went into the net. The Islanders continue their road trip Saturday afternoon, when they'll try to end the Pittsburgh Penguins' 14-game winning streak.
Winnipeg v Pittsburgh 0-4 - Talk about the perfect month. Not only have the Pittsburgh Penguins added two former captains to their already star-studded lineup, they're one victory away from capping the only perfect full month the NHL has ever seen. Pascal Dupuis scored two goals, Tomas Vokoun made 20 saves for his 50th career shutout and the Penguins dominated the Winnipeg Jets 4-0 Thursday night for their 14th consecutive victory. Should Pittsburgh win at home Saturday against the New York Islanders, it would cap the only calendar month of at least 10 games without a loss or tie by a team in NHL history. Evgeni Malkin had a goal in his return from a nine-game injury absence, and Chris Kunitz scored for Eastern Conference-leading Pittsburgh (27-8-0), which extended its home winning streak to a franchise record-tying 11 games. The Penguins shut out an opponent for the second consecutive game and have allowed nine goals in their past 10 contests. Pittsburgh is on the verge of adding another great player. Jarome Iginla, acquired in a trade with the Calgary Flames early Thursday morning, did not join the Penguins in time for this game. Though coach Dan Bylsma called his top line of Kunitz, Dupuis and NHL scoring leader Crosby "the best line in hockey" and vowed to keep it together, speculation abounds that Iginla will skate on Crosby's wing. That makes sense, Iginla has 525 career goals and was on Crosby's line at the 2010 Winter Olympics. Dupuis, though, seemingly won't give up the coveted spot without a fight, even as he politely and steadfastly maintains he'll play anywhere with anyone. Dupuis scored 4:12 into the second period off assists from Kunitz and Crosby to tie Tampa Bay Lightning forward Steven Stamkos for the NHL lead with 15 even-strength goals. Dupuis added his 17th overall with 1:23 to play in the second, his NHL-high eighth shorthanded goal over the past three seasons. Dupuis' second goal was his 200th point with the Penguins. He just missed his second career hat trick 4-1/2 minutes into the third when his redirection of Matt Niskanen's slap-pass went wide of a vast expanse of open net. Dupuis hit the post late in the first period during the same shift that Malkin eventually scored his sixth of the season, his second since Feb. 20. Malkin missed 13 of the previous 16 games with a concussion (four games) and a shoulder injury (nine games). Crosby had another assist on Kunitz's goal that opened the scoring 15:03 into the game. Crosby's blind backhand backward pass from below the goal line onto the tape of Kunitz's stick was arguably the prettiest of his League-leading 41 assists this season. Kunitz's goal was his 20th, the third consecutive season and the fifth time in his career he's had at least that many. Winnipeg goalie Ondrej Pavelec did not start for the first time in 12 games. He started both of the Jets' games at Consol Energy Center last season, in which the Penguins scored eight times each. Al Montoya made his first start since March 7, second since Feb. 9, and had 39 saves in defeat. Vokoun came on in relief of Marc-Andre Fleury at the start of the third period of Tuesday's 1-0 win against the Montreal Canadiens. Fleury sustained an upper-body injury that kept him out of Thursday's game. He took part in the morning skate and said he felt OK, but the team recalled Jeff Zatkoff from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League in the afternoon. Vokoun extended his personal winning streak to six. In his past six appearances, Vokoun has a 0.80 goals-against average and a .971 save percentage. He is the 26th NHL goalie to record 50 shutouts. One of Vokoun's best saves was stopping Kyle Wellwood on a partial breakaway with 7:42 to play. Vokoun, who has two shutouts this season, also turned aside two shots during 1:56 of Winnipeg 5-on-3 time early in the third. The Penguins have not allowed a goal in their past 148:24 of play. Douglas Murray was part of that penalty-killing effort in his Penguins debut. The hulking defenseman, acquired in a trade from the San Jose Sharks on Monday, registered three hits, a blocked shot, two shots on goal, and a plus-1 rating in 18:20 of ice time. Former Dallas Stars captain Brenden Morrow played 14:38 in his second game with the Penguins after coming over in a trade Sunday. The winning streak is the tied for the third-longest in NHL history. The Mario Lemieux-led Penguins had a record 17-game run going at this time 20 years ago. Crosby has 11 points in a six-game point streak and a 12-point lead over Kunitz for the League scoring lead. The Crosby-Kunitz-Dupuis line has combined for 32 goals over the past 17 games. The Penguins have won 12 in a row at home against the Jets franchise, which maintained its six-point lead in the Southeast Division.
NY Rangers v Ottawa 0-3 - Even with all their injuries, the Ottawa Senators still have the New York Rangers' number. Ben Bishop stopped 24 shots for his first shutout of the season as the Senators beat the Rangers 3-0 on Thursday night for their fourth consecutive victory. Andre Benoit scored late in the second period to put Ottawa ahead to stay, Guillaume Latendresse beat Henrik Lundqvist with 7:44 left in regulation and Colin Greening hit the empty net with 2:02 remaining to wrap up the Senators' fifth consecutive victory against the Rangers. Bishop outplayed Lundqvist, the reigning Vezina Trophy winner, who turned away 26 shots. Lundqvist is just 3-5-1 in his last nine games, and perplexed by his team's continuing struggles. The Senators, despite missing Erik Karlsson, Jason Spezza, Milan Michalek and starting goaltender Craig Anderson, improved to 19-9-6 and are fifth in the Eastern Conference. The Rangers (16-14-3) are tied for the final playoff berth with the Islanders at 35 points, though the Rangers have a game in hand. After a defense-oriented first few minutes, the Rangers nearly took the lead midway through the first period when Derek Stepan's pass from behind the Ottawa net found Rick Nash, who backhanded the puck across the high slot to Carl Hagelin. But Hagelin fired wide from just inside the left circle. New York got another great opportunity when Patrick Wiercioch turned the puck over in the right corner to New York's Kris Newbury, who was skating up the slot. But Bishop got his pad on Newbury's wrister and did the same to Ryan Callahan's wrist shot after the Rangers' captain picked off Eric Condra's attempted clear. Ottawa's best chance in the first came late in the period when Kyle Turris passed across the offensive zone to Eric Gryba, but the rookie defenseman's wrist shot from inside the right circle wound up in Lundqvist's glove. The Senators had a 2-on-1 chance early in the second period, but Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh broke up Jacob Silfverberg's pass. Lundqvist sprawled across the crease near the 12-minute mark to keep Condra from burying a rebound. The Senators finally broke through with 48.8 seconds left in the period. With Anton Stralman off for tripping Mike Hoffman, Mika Zibanejad passed to Benoit, who one-timed a blast from the blue line through traffic and past Lundqvist for his second of the season. McDonagh had a great chance to tie the game early in the third period when McDonagh was left open in the left circle with plenty of net to shoot at and Bishop out of position. But the 6-foot-7 goaltender dove across the net to make the save with his blocker. Latendresse gave Ottawa some breathing room when he finished off a feed from Zibanejad for his fourth goal in six games. Zibanejad has five helpers during a four-game assist streak. The line of Latendresse, Zibanejad and Silfverberg has been paying offensive dividends for the Senators. Silfverberg also had an assist on Latendresse's goal, giving him one goal and two helpers in his last three games. However, Latendresse knows the trio's role isn't just about putting pucks in the net. With the Rangers barely clinging to the final playoff berth in the East, coach John Tortorella admitted that the loss on Thursday was aggravating.
Buffalo v Florida 4-5 - Jonathan Huberdeau listened to some advice from an injured teammate, and it paid immediate dividends. The Florida Panthers' rookie sensation snapped a nine-game goal drought with a game-tying power-play tally with 6:09 left in regulation, then scored in the shootout as his team rallied to beat the Buffalo Sabres 5-4 on Thursday night at BB&T Center. Huberdeau's goal was his 13th of the season, tops among NHL rookies. Huberdeau, who hadn't scored since March 8 against the Winnipeg Jets, couldn't remember the last time he had gone that long without a goal at any level. Huberdeau's goal came in the second round of the shootout and was awarded after the play was reviewed, as the puck barely crossed the goal line. He scored after Buffalo captain Jason Pominville had given the Sabres a 1-0 lead on the opening attempt of the tiebreaker. Florida won the shootout in the fourth round when Mike Santorelli beat Ryan Miller with a backhand-to-forehand deke and a high shot. The goal was Santorelli's ninth in 18 career shootout attempts. Thursday marked the second consecutive meeting between the teams that went to a shootout. The Sabres won 4-3 at BB&T Center on Feb. 28, 25 days after the Panthers won 4-3 at Buffalo. The Panthers improved to 2-1 in shootouts this season, although they're 0-5 in games ending in overtime. Buffalo is now 4-3 in shootouts. Florida sent the game to OT after squandering a 2-0 lead, then coming back from two one-goal deficits in the third period. Shawn Matthias scored twice in regulation for the Panthers, giving him nine goals in his past 15 games. Matthias has 12 goals on the season, topping his previous career high of 10 accomplished in 79 games last season. Tomas Fleischmann had the other goal for Florida, which snapped a three-game losing streak and won at home for the first time since March 5. Peter Mueller and Brian Campbell each had two assists. Florida goalie Jacob Markstrom stopped 36 shots in regulation and overtime, and all four goals against him came off deflections. Nathan Gerbe, Andrej Sekera, Drew Stafford and Marcus Foligno scored for the Sabres, who were swept on a two-game Florida trip for the fifth time in 28 sets of back-to-back games against the Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning. They dropped a 2-1 decision in Tampa on Tuesday. Sekera was back in the lineup Thursday after missing five games with an upper-body injury. Stafford had been a healthy scratch the previous two. Miller, who was in net for Tuesday's loss against the Lightning, made 36 saves. Buffalo erased a 2-0 deficit in the second period with three unanswered goals, which matched their output of their previous two games combined. They accomplished this despite playing without leading scorer Thomas Vanek, who's out with an upper-body injury. Along with Vanek, the Sabres also played the last two periods without left wing Ville Leino, who was benched by coach Ron Rolston after being penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct with 40 seconds left in the first period for berating an official. The Panthers took advantage when Fleischmann scored on the ensuing power play 43 seconds into the second period to give Florida a 2-0 lead. One positive note for Buffalo was the performance of Stafford, who had an assist along with his goal and had five shots. Buffalo led 3-2 before Matthias evened it 5:23 into the third on a play that was set up by his hustle. He poked the puck away from Steve Ott from behind in the Buffalo zone, and Mueller fired a shot that was stopped by Miller before Matthias put home the rebound. After Foligno scored a power-play goal at 11:33 when he deflected Jordan Leopold's shot from the point past Markstrom, Huberdeau tied it again with a power-play goal when he one-timed Mueller's feed in front of the net past Miller.
Los Angeles v St Louis 4-2 - The Los Angeles Kings have gone into two tough buildings in a row and come up with key goals late in regulation to leave with two points. On Monday, it was Dustin Brown scoring with less than two minutes to give L.A. a victory at Chicago. Three nights later, it was Mike Richards' turn to be the hero, he stuffed a puck past Jaroslav Halak with 2:43 remaining to break a tie as the Kings beat the St. Louis Blues 4-2. The play went to review, as Halak had his skate up against the post. Jeff Carter did lift the goal from behind before the puck got stuffed in but it was determined to be a good goal, as Richards outworked the Blues' Andy McDonald. Justin Williams added an empty-netter with 1:16 remaining to seal the win for the Kings (19-12-2). It used to be that the Blues had L.A.'s number, but the tide has turned heavily in favor of the Kings in recent meetings. Brown and Trevor Lewis also scored for the Kings, who won for the fourth time in six games while beating the Blues for the eighth straight time, including four wins in a second-round playoff sweep last spring. They've outscored the Blues 29-13 in that stretch. The Kings grabbed the two crucial points in the standings, giving them 40 on the season. Vladimir Tarasenko scored both goals for the Blues (17-14-2) and Halak stopped 36 shots, the 39 shots he faced were the most he's seen in any of his 15 appearances this season. The loss was the Blues' fourth in five games, and since they don't play again until Monday, they could end the weekend outside of the top eight in the Western Conference looking in. They came into the game in seventh place. The Kings outshot the Blues 13-7 in the opening period but Halak's goaltending kept them off the board. The Kings had the best scoring chances following two Blues turnovers. Jarret Stoll fired high on a breakaway attempt with 9:49 remaining after a Steen turnover towards the end of a Blues power play, and Halak made a right pad stop on Richards' backhand attempt on a semi-break down the right side following McDonald's turnover. Brown gave the Kings a 1-0 lead when he was able to convert a rebound of a Kopitar chance 4:42 into the second period. Halak made stops on Rob Scuderi and Kopitar on the doorstep, but the puck got to Brown on the opposite side of the net. The Blues tied it at 10:55, with Tarasenko scoring his first in 10 games when he connected for a power-play goal, the Blues' first man advantage goal in five games. The Russian rookie followed up his own rebound after getting a feed in the slot from David Perron. Jonathan Quick, who stopped 20 shots, made the initial save but left a rebound in the slot. The goal broke a 106:07 scoring drought for the Blues dating back to Saturday at Edmonton. But the Kings reestablished the lead when Lewis was able to outwork Wade Redden at the side of the Blues goal after a dump-in by Stoll and beat Halak with a near-side backhand just 1:53 after the Blues tied it. Tarasenko equalized the game again for the Blues, as he followed up Alex Pietrangelo's one-timer and stuffed the puck past Quick from just off the goal line. Tarasenko, coming off the right half-wall, beat Scuderi to the position and finished it off 6:44 into the third. The Kings were able to get a Brown winner with 1:27 remaining to beat the Blackhawks 5-4 on Monday. Richards' first goal in eight games pushed the Kings into fifth place, pending Detroit's game with San Jose Thursday night.
Phoenix v Nashville 7-4 - For one glorious period, the Phoenix Coyotes' offensive struggles were a thing of the past. Their seven-game losing streak is over as well. Radim Vrbata scored twice in the Coyotes' six-goal opening period, and Phoenix went on to defeat the Nashville Predators 7-4 Thursday for their first victory since March 12. Phoenix (14-15-5) came into the game having scored eight goals during an 0-6-1 slide that has dropped them out of the top eight in the Western Conference. But they sent Vezina Trophy finalist Pekka Rinne to the bench less than four minutes into the game while grabbing a 3-0 lead. Nashville (14-14-6) saw its three-game winning streak emphatically ended. The Coyotes led 3-0 almost before the fans at Bridgestone Arena had settled into their seats. Martin Hanzal scored an unassisted goal at 1:46; Vrbata made it 2-0 at 3:42 on a backhand wraparound; and David Moss hammered in a rebound eight seconds later. That brought a goaltending change for Nashville, with Chris Mason replacing Rinne. It didn't help, Matthew Lombardi scored his 100th NHL goal at 7:08, and Keith Yandle connected for a power-play goal on a one-timer at 8:26. Nashville finally got on the board at 9:03 when David Legwand beat Jason LaBarbera, and Rich Clune made it 6-2, 30 seconds later. Vrbata scored his second of the night at 15:57 on a bad-angle screen shot from the left boards near the goal line, only to see Gabriel Bourque tip a shot past LaBarbera 32 seconds later to cut the margin to 6-3. The Coyotes scored six times on 13 shots in the opening period; defenseman Rostislav Klesla assisted on four of the six goals. Nashville had three goals on 17 shots. The six goals ties the most scored in one period in the League this season; the San Jose Sharks scored six times in the first period at the Edmonton Oilers on Jan. 22. The six goals matched Nashville's franchise record for most goals against in one period. Rinne re-entered the game for the second period and was beaten by Antoine Vermette at 2:44 to make it 7-3. LaBarbera, playing in place of injured starter Mike Smith, allowed a goal to Shea Weber midway through the third period and finished with 34 saves. Coyotes forward Steve Sullivan, a former Predators player, was honored for his 1,000th NHL game.
Columbus v Edmonton 4-6 - The Columbus Blue Jackets learned that playing run-and-gun hockey with the Edmonton Oilers isn't a good idea. The Blue Jackets scored 10 seconds after the opening faceoff Thursday and had leads of 2-0, 3-2 and 4-3. But they couldn't slow down the Oilers, who got a goal and two assists from Sam Gagner as they rallied for a 6-4 victory at Rexall Place. Ales Hemsky scored the go-ahead goal with 3:08 remaining in regulation, beating Columbus goalie Sergei Bobrovsky through the five-hole on the return rush after Edmonton's Devan Dubnyk robbed Cam Atkinson's bid for a hat trick. Gagner hit the empty net in the final minute, and the Oilers (13-13-7) pulled even with the Blue Jackets (13-14-7) in the Western Conference standings. Columbus, Edmonton, Dallas and Phoenix all have 33 points, three behind the eighth-place St. Louis Blues. Bobrovsky, whose goaltending fueled Columbus' recent 8-0-4 run, had a tough night, he allowed five goals on 24 shots. Richards said his team's inability to manage the puck was a bigger reason for the loss. The game couldn't have started better for Columbus. Atkinson scored on a one-timer before the echoes of "O, Canada" had subsided, then set up Matt Calvert's goal at 12:04 of the first period to give Columbus a 2-0 lead. But Magnus Paajarvi scored on a backhander late in the period to get the Oilers on the board, and Jordan Eberle stepped through the defense before flipping the puck past Bobrovsky 39 seconds into the middle period to make it 2-2. Calvert appeared to get his second of the night with just under three minutes left in the second when a rebound bounced off Nikolai Khabibulin and hit the Columbus forward's skate as he was being driven into the net; however, a video review waved off the goal, saying Calvert used his skate to kick the puck into the net. But Artem Anisimov got a goal that counted with 1:26 left in the period, beating Khabibulin from the right circle, to put the Blue Jackets back in front. The lead lasted 31 seconds before Oilers captain Shawn Horcoff tied the game again by finishing off a pass by Nail Yakupov. Atkinson got the Blue Jackets off to a fast start in the third period and ended Khabibulin's night by scoring 27 seconds after intermission, but Corey Potter's shot from the blue line somehow went through the five-hole on Bobrovsky at 3:00 to get the Oilers even again.
Colorado v Vancouver 1-4 - Reunited after a couple of games apart and a few more in which they struggled, the Vancouver Canucks' top line had a chat before the game on Thursday. Alexandre Burrows and Daniel and Henrik Sedin talked about not trying to force the issue offensively, about taking care of their defensive responsibilities first, and letting the scoring chances come to them at the other end. Against the Colorado Avalanche it usually does. Burrows scored the opening goal early and set up Daniel Sedin's game-winner with 8:28 left to lead Vancouver to a 4-1 victory. Henrik Sedin and Chris Higgins added empty-net goals, and the top line finished with six points as the Canucks improved to 18-0-2 against Colorado during the past 3 1/2 years. After jumping out to a 1-0 lead an 8-1 shot advantage the first nine minutes, the Canucks were being outshot 21-7 when Colorado's Matt Duchene tied it 4:02 into the third period. But the top line put the Canucks back in front off an offensive-zone faceoff that went from the point down to Burrows in the left corner and quickly into the high slot to Daniel Sedin for a quick wrist shot through Henrik's screen beat Avalanche goalie Semyon Varlamov between the legs. If not for Cory Schneider, the Avalanche would have tied the game a lot sooner. Schneider made the best of his 32 saves in the second half of a first period that ended with 10 straight shots by Colorado, turning aside point-blank opportunities for Jamie McGinn and PA Parenteau, and robbing Milan Hejduk alone in tight. Schneider has allowed just six goals during a six-game winning streak that put the Canucks two points ahead of the Minnesota Wild atop the Northwest Division. He even got an assist on Henrik's empty net goal with 1:24 left to play. Before the streak, Schneider had one win in five games and watched Roberto Luongo start four straight, but he used that time to tighten up his game. Varlamov finished with 16 saves for the Avalanche, who have lost four straight, eight of nine, and are 2-12-3 on the road this season. Upset after falling behind 2-0 and being dominated in the first period of a 4-3 loss to the Calgary Flames the night before, the Avalanche were down 1-0 early against the Canucks after some pretty passing from the Sedins. A point shot was blocked in the high slot, but bounced to Daniel. He spun into a blind backhand pass across the ice to Henrik, who one-touched it back the other way, stranding Varlamov and leaving Burrows with an empty net. It was the second goal in seven games for Burrows and snapped a skid that saw the Sedins record one assist combined in the past four games. They were perhaps guilty of thinking those goals might come too easy against Colorado. After a Burrows holding penalty, the Avalanche recorded the final 10 shots of the period, finishing with a 32-12 shot advantage over the final 51 minutes. Colorado had a great chance to defeat Vancouver in regulation for the first time in a long time on the power play a few minutes later. But Schneider turned aside Erik Johnson alone in the slot, and Daniel Sedin restored the lead two minutes later, giving the Canucks 10 straight wins against the Avalanche. It just wasn't enough to end a much longer slump against the Canucks.
Detroit v San Jose 0-2 - Another night, another shutout for San Jose Sharks goaltender Antti Niemi. Niemi stopped 27 shots for his second shutout in as many nights as the Sharks beat the Detroit Red Wings 2-0 at HP Pavilion on Thursday. Niemi, who made 22 saves in a 4-0 victory against Anaheim on Wednesday, posted consecutive shutouts for the third time in his NHL career, all as a Shark. Two seasons ago, he blanked the Boston Bruins on Feb. 5, 2011, and the Washington Capitals three days later, both on the road. Last season he shut out the Calgary Flames on the road, just before the All-Star break. A week later, he shut out the Columbus Blue Jackets at home. This marked the first time in his career that Niemi posted shutouts on back-to-back nights and the first time that's happened in Sharks history. Joe Pavelski and Brent Burns scored for the Sharks, who won their third straight game, their longest streak since winning seven straight to open the season, and have won the first two games on their seven-game home stand. Pavelski and Burns each scored a goal for the third straight game, helping the Sharks climb into sole possession of seventh place in the Western Conference with 38 points, two points ahead of the St. Louis Blues and one behind Detroit. Detroit's three-game winning streak came to the end, but the Red Wings finished their four-game road trip with a 3-1-0 record, grabbing six of a possible eight points. Red Wings goaltender Jimmy Howard stopped 22 of 24 shots. Pavelski gave the Sharks a 1-0 lead at 18:59 of the first period with his 10th goal of the season. He scored for the third straight game since being switched from a second-line wing to a third-line center. Linemates Ryane Clowe and TJ Galiardi each earned an assist on the goal. Pavelski won a battle for the puck along the boards behind the net and scored on a wraparound shot that bounced off Detroit defenseman Niklas Kronwall's skate and past Howard. Kronwall and the Red Wings, who had their five-game road winning streak snapped, were on the wrong side of that bounce. After a scoreless second period, Burns gave the Sharks some breathing room at 2:07 of the third. The goal was Burns' fifth of the season; all of them have come since he was switched from a defenseman to a right wing on March 12 against St. Louis. He has 10 points in nine games as a top-line forward. Joe Thornton earned the assist after taking the puck away from defenseman Brian Lashoff deep in Detroit's zone and passing the puck to Burns, who ripped a shot over Howard's glove and inside the right post. Both teams played a remarkably clean game. The first and only penalty of the game didn't come until just 9:16 remained when Sharks forward TJ Galiardi was called for hooking. For the first time in Sharks history, an opponent went an entire game without a penalty. The one penalty and two penalty minutes set Sharks records for fewest combined penalties and penalty minutes. The Red Wings had scored at least one power-play goal in eight straight games before Thursday, but the Sharks killed that power play with Niemi making a handful of saves, including on a shot from Henrik Zetterberg from close range. Niemi improved to 9-2-2 all-time against Detroit, a team he often faced while playing for the Chicago Blackhawks and one that usually brings the best out of him. When the Sharks and Red Wings met on Feb. 28 in San Jose, they combined for just two goals with Detroit winning 2-1 in a shootout. The rematch had much the same feel with neither team able to generate much offense or good scoring chances. Red Wings forward Johan Franzen left the game in the second period with a lower-body injury and did not return. Babcock had no update on his condition.
Thursday, 28 March 2013
Pens sign Iginla
In a shocking turn of events on a wild Thursday morning, the Calgary Flames announced that they've traded franchise icon Jarome Iginla to the Pittsburgh Penguins for the Pens' first-round pick in the 2013 NHL Draft and the rights to unsigned draft choices Kenneth Agostino and Ben Hanowski. Throughout much of Wednesday night, several media outlets reported Iginla was being traded to the Boston Bruins for a first-round pick and two minor leaguers. But the Flames announced the deal with Pittsburgh at 1:30 a.m. ET Thursday, not long after their 4-3 home victory against Colorado, a game that Calgary played without Iginla, who was scratched about two hours before the opening faceoff.
"That info was not correct," Calgary general manager Jay Feaster said of the reports.
Penguins GM Ray Shero said he made sure to let Feaster know he wanted in on any talks concerning Iginla."We talked to Jay and said if you're going to move Iginla, we would be interested. Over the last day or so, it became apparent they were going to move him. We started getting into more names and scenarios." The addition of an unconditional first-round pick clinched the deal. "The first-round pick was very important to them. They ended up with two good college prospects. That's the price of Jarome Iginla. That's what you have to do. That's what we did."
Feaster said the Flames had three offers for Iginla, and that he worked with Iginla in making a decision on the player's final destination. Iginla, it seems, wanted to go to Pittsburgh and be reunited with Sidney Crosby. The two were teammates on the Team Canada entry that won the gold medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. "We, as an organization, are grateful for everything our captain has done. We've missed the [Stanley Cup Playoffs] the last three years, we are in very tight spot right now as far as qualifying for the playoffs and we have Jarome in the final year of his contract," Feaster said of the club's rationalizing for moving the face of the franchise. Feaster also said it was a difficult decision to make, but it became a necessity when the general manager realized that he could not sign Iginla, an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year, to an extension. "This is not why I came to Calgary, to be the guy to trade Jarome Iginla. It's an unfortunate and difficult part of this business. It was tough. I've only known Jarome for the three years I have been here, and Jarome has been very good to me. They are tough conversations to have."
It is the third major deal in the past 72 hours engineered by Shero, who has yet to move a player off his NHL roster in making his acquisitions. On Monday, Shero obtained gritty veteran forward Brenden Morrow from the Dallas Stars for prospect Joe Morrow and a draft pick. Less than 24 hours later, he plucked veteran defenseman Douglas Murray from the San Jose Sharks for two second-round picks. Now he has bagged Iginla, the prize of this year's trade market. "We're all in. We want to win," Shero said after the deal was made.
The Penguins host the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday, but it is unclear if Iginla will play in that game. Iginla is scheduled to meet with the Calgary media Thursday morning, suggesting he would not arrive in time for a game that evening. Pittsburgh's next game is a Saturday afternoon contest against the New York Islanders at the Consol Energy Center. He brings a lot of different elements, ability to play with good players, play in tough areas, good leadership," Shero said. "He wants to win. The people I've talked to that have played with him talk about what a great teammate and person he is. My expectation is that he'll be a really good fit in terms of the team and the guys that we have."
Still to be determined is how Iginla fits in with the Penguins and whom he'll play. However, Shero said Iginla is willing to do whatever it takes to win. "He said he would help anyway he could, didn't care about role or who he was playing with. He'll accept any role that's asked of him by coaches or teammates. That will be up to [coach] Dan [Bylsma]. They have a month to work things out as far as where things go and what the fit might be. They may play with different players here and there and find that fit with what the roles are and who's comfortable with whom. We have some time to sort through that and find those roles."
Iginla, 35, has nine goals and 22 points this season for the struggling Flames. He has played his entire NHL career in Calgary, scoring 525 goals with the Flames. He had played 441 consecutive games before the Flames scratched him Wednesday night, and had appeared in every game for Calgary since April 8, 2007. "Jarome Iginla is 35 years old. He's not 45," Shero said. "He's like a few other guys that have come here that seem to be rejuvenated playing with these younger players. That's what we're hoping for with the guys that we picked up. Hopefully, that will be the case."
He is a three-time First-Team All-Star, won the Rocket Richard Trophy as the NHL's top goal-scorer in 2002 and 2004, and led the NHL in points in 2001-02. He has been the Flames' captain since the start of the 2003-04 season. A first-round pick by the Dallas Stars (No. 11) at the 1995 NHL Draft, Iginla was dealt to the Flames in a deal that sent Joe Nieuwendyk to Dallas on Dec. 20, 1995. Iginla made his NHL debut with the Flames during the 1996 Stanley Cup Playoffs and had spent his entire career with Calgary. Iginla has appeared in 1,219 regular-season games, scoring 525 goals and 570 assists. He also has 28 goals and 21 assists in 54 postseason contests. Iginla came close to winning a championship in 2004, when the Flames lost Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
"It's different; it's weird for sure," Calgary forward Michael Cammalleri said after the game. "I think he's been such presence on this team, this city, this organization for so long. He's such a dominant player, a guy who is in the lineup all the time not missing any games. His presence will be … it'll be different, for sure, without him."
Calgary sits in second-to-last place in the Western Conference, although they are just six points behind the eighth-place Sharks. But the Flames must climb past six clubs with just 16 games remaining to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. "We're all very aware of what kind of business it is," Calgary forward Alex Tanguay said. "What have you done for me lately? I've been here three years and we haven't been in the playoffs. The position we're in now, no one would call it ideal. [The trade] was forced by the situation. If we're standing in fourth [place], I don't think we'd be unloading a player of his abilities. Obviously, it's caused by the team."
Agostino, 20, was a fifth-round pick by the Penguins in the 2010 NHL Draft. The junior forward has a career-high 15 goals and 37 points for Yale this season. Hanowski, a 22-year-old right wing, was a third-round pick in the 2009 Draft. He is a senior at St. Cloud State, where he has scored 62 goals and 111 points in four years. Both players are taking part in the NCAA Tournament this weekend. "Our pro scouts feel very strongly about these players," Feaster said after the trade was announced. "They fit our criteria for hockey sense, and they have good skill level."
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