TOP STORY
LW Ryan Clowe celebrates a PPG as Detroit loses it's 2nd Straight West Coast Game
San Jose Sharks (9-2-0) over the Detroit Red Wings (7-2-2) 4-2
If you didn't know that new Sharks HC Todd McLellan was a former Red Wings assistant, now you do. The Sharks played Red Wings-style hockey. McLellan even predicted his first game against his former team would feature two teams that were mirror images of each other. "I thought we got 'Winged' tonight," Detroit coach Mike Babcock said. "I thought they did everything exactly like we try to do. They just did it better tonight. We're going to look forward to playing them again. I think he's done a real good job. He's got a real good team over there."
Detroit's two goals came from Marian Hossa and and Brian Rafalski. Detroit had won its past four games in San Jose, including two games in the 2007 playoffs. The Red Wings had scored at least one power-play goal in eight straight games, before being held scoreless on their two chances against San Jose. Detroit's next game is Sunday when they continue their west coast road swing in Vancouver.
The Sharks have been one of the better teams in the West over the past few seasons but have been stuck in the 2nd round of the playoffs. Nothing against Ron Wilson, but sometimes a team needs a shake-up to perform better. We see it all the time in other sports. New energy behind the bench might be exactly what the doctor ordered for this team. It's still early in the season, but San Jose looks real sharp and can match up against any team in the West. As for Detroit, they are still a top team in the NHL but have had the misfortune of running in to two of the hottest teams in the league. Vancouver has see-sawed this year and should be prime for the taking after they play Anaheim tonight.
Red Wings Drown In The Shark Tank
(Photo Credit: AP)
LW Ryan Clowe celebrates a PPG as Detroit loses it's 2nd Straight West Coast Game
San Jose Sharks (9-2-0) over the Detroit Red Wings (7-2-2) 4-2
If you didn't know that new Sharks HC Todd McLellan was a former Red Wings assistant, now you do. The Sharks played Red Wings-style hockey. McLellan even predicted his first game against his former team would feature two teams that were mirror images of each other. "I thought we got 'Winged' tonight," Detroit coach Mike Babcock said. "I thought they did everything exactly like we try to do. They just did it better tonight. We're going to look forward to playing them again. I think he's done a real good job. He's got a real good team over there."
Evgeni Nabokov made 25 saves to keep the Sharks undefeated at home so far this season (6-0-0). San Jose got goals from Patrick Marleau, Ryan Clowe, Jamie McGinn, and Joe Pavelski. Devin Setoguchi added two assists. The Sharks have now won three in a row and their next game is Sunday when they travel to Colorado.
Detroit's two goals came from Marian Hossa and and Brian Rafalski. Detroit had won its past four games in San Jose, including two games in the 2007 playoffs. The Red Wings had scored at least one power-play goal in eight straight games, before being held scoreless on their two chances against San Jose. Detroit's next game is Sunday when they continue their west coast road swing in Vancouver.
The Sharks have been one of the better teams in the West over the past few seasons but have been stuck in the 2nd round of the playoffs. Nothing against Ron Wilson, but sometimes a team needs a shake-up to perform better. We see it all the time in other sports. New energy behind the bench might be exactly what the doctor ordered for this team. It's still early in the season, but San Jose looks real sharp and can match up against any team in the West. As for Detroit, they are still a top team in the NHL but have had the misfortune of running in to two of the hottest teams in the league. Vancouver has see-sawed this year and should be prime for the taking after they play Anaheim tonight.
OTHER HEADLINES
-Sidney Crosby left the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-1 loss to the Phoenix Coyotes last with an undisclosed injury. Crosby disappeared from the bench towards the beginning of the third and is listed as day-to-day. Penguins team policy does not allow disclosure of injuries.
-Daniel Alfredsson agrees to a 4-year extension with the Ottawa Senators (courtesy of TSN.ca)
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=254198&lid=sublink05&lpos=headlines_nhl
-Atlanta Thrashers defenceman Zach Bogosian, the No. 3 overall pick in this year's draft, will be out indefinitely with a broken left leg. The injury won't require surgery. Bogosian was hurt when he was slammed into the boards by Philadelphia's Darroll Powe in the Flyers' 7-0 win in Atlanta on Tuesday night.
RUMOR MILL
-Nikolai Khabibulin trade rumors are heating up. Like I suggested in an earlier blog, if Rick DiPietro's health is going to be a constant concern (and it will be for 13 more years), then maybe Isles GM Garth Snow needs to get on the line with Chicago and work something out. It looks like the Isles want to deal Mike Comrie and he'd be a good fit in Chicago.
LAST NIGHT'S RECAP
Tampa Bay Lightning (3-3-3) over the Buffalo Sabres (6-2-2) 5-2
-The Lightning got back to .500 thanks to a big game from rookie C Steve Stamkos. It took him eight games to dent the score sheet, but had a big coming out party with two goals and an assist. Vinny Lecavalier added two assists (extending his points streak to 8 games) and the rest of the Lightning goals came from Ryan Malone, Jussi Jokinen and Paul Ranger. G Olaf Kozlig made 29 saves in the road win for TB. The Sabres have allowed 10 goals in their past two games, both regulation losses.
-The Lightning got back to .500 thanks to a big game from rookie C Steve Stamkos. It took him eight games to dent the score sheet, but had a big coming out party with two goals and an assist. Vinny Lecavalier added two assists (extending his points streak to 8 games) and the rest of the Lightning goals came from Ryan Malone, Jussi Jokinen and Paul Ranger. G Olaf Kozlig made 29 saves in the road win for TB. The Sabres have allowed 10 goals in their past two games, both regulation losses.
New York Rangers (10-2-1) over the Atlanta Thrashers (2-6-2) 3-2
-The Rangers are off to their best start through 13 games in franchise history. RW Markus Naslund scored the Rangers first goal and extended his points streak to five games (3G 4A in the span). 2008 addition Nikolai Zherdev is paying off big dividends early for the Rangers with a goal (on a SWEET backhand) and an assist and made a great defensive play on a Thrashers breakaway. D Dan Girardi scored the game winner with about six minutes remaining. Henrik Lundqvist made 27 saves to earn his league-leading 8th win. The Thrashers have the 2nd lowest point total in the league with 6.
-The Rangers are off to their best start through 13 games in franchise history. RW Markus Naslund scored the Rangers first goal and extended his points streak to five games (3G 4A in the span). 2008 addition Nikolai Zherdev is paying off big dividends early for the Rangers with a goal (on a SWEET backhand) and an assist and made a great defensive play on a Thrashers breakaway. D Dan Girardi scored the game winner with about six minutes remaining. Henrik Lundqvist made 27 saves to earn his league-leading 8th win. The Thrashers have the 2nd lowest point total in the league with 6.
Philadelphia Flyers (4-3-3) over the New York Islanders (2-6-1) 3-2 (OT)
-The Flyers have erased the memories of a bad start and have won four in a row since then. Jeff Carter scored two goals for Philly, including the PP game winner with 24 seconds left in OT. G Martin Biron made 34 saves in the win. Mike Knuble extended his point-scoring streak to four games (4G 1A-). Islanders D Mark Streit (3G 3A ) and C Doug Weight (4A) each extended their point-scoring streaks to four games. The Isles have the lowest point total in the league with 5.
Ottawa Senators (4-5-0) over the Florida Panthers (4-5-1) 2-1
Ottawa Senators (4-5-0) over the Florida Panthers (4-5-1) 2-1
-The Panthers jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first period (Keith Ballard PPG), but wouldn't be able to hold on to it. Dany Heatley would tie it up and Chris Kelly would score the game winner (both in the 3rd period) and the Sens would earn their first consecutive wins of the season. On the flip side, it was Florida's first back to back losses of the season. Alex Auld made 25 saves for Ottawa while Tomas Vokoun made 29 saves for Florida.
Nashville Predators (5-4-1) over the Edmonton Oilers (4-4-1) 3-1
-Patric Hornqvist, Shea Weaber and Martin Erat would pot the three goals for the Preds and get them back above .500 since the third game of the season. G Pekka Rinne stopped 27 shots to earn his first win of the year in his 2nd start of the season. Sheldon Souray would score the lone goal (PP) for the Oilers in the loss. After opening the season with four wins, Edmonton has now dropped five in a row (one in OT)
Montreal Canadiens (7-1-1) over the Minnesota Wild (6-2-1) 2-1
Montreal Canadiens (7-1-1) over the Minnesota Wild (6-2-1) 2-1
-In the battle of the Koivu brothers (Saku for Montreal, Mikko for Minnesota), it would be the elder brother getting the victory. It marked the first time in NHL history that brothers who are both captains would play against one another. Wild D Brent Burns would open the scoring early in the 1st period, but Francois Bouillon would answer right back for Montreal three minutes later. D Andrei Markov would score a PP goal in the 2nd period and the Canadiens would kill an astounding 10 penalties in the game. Carey Price made 28 saves in the win. Wild RW Owen Nolan sat out with a lower-body injury. Lemaire said he expects Nolan to make the team's upcoming road trip. This was Montreal's 2900th road game in team history and Minnesota's 2nd straigh regulation loss.
Carolina Hurricanes (5-2-2) over the St. Louis Blues (5-4-0) 1-0
-The game would remain scoreless until about halfway through the third period when Hurricanes C Tuomo Ruttu would score on the PP. G Cam Ward made 19 saves for his sevent career shutout. This was the last game of Carolina's 6 game road trip (3-1-2). The Blues had not lost at home to Carolina since the 1999-2000 season. In the last 20 years, the Hurricanes franchise won just three games in St. Louis before Thursday's victory. G Chris Mason made 28 saves for the Blues.
Columbus Blue Jackets (4-6-0) over the Colorado Avalanche (5-5-0) 4-2
Columbus Blue Jackets (4-6-0) over the Colorado Avalanche (5-5-0) 4-2
-G Fredrik Norrena had 30 saves, Jason Chimera and Derick Brassard had a goal and an assist each and Columbus got a rare win in Colorado (Columbus is 4-23-1-1 against Colorado all time). It was Norrena's first win of the season and it snapped a three game losing streak for the Blue Jackets. Andrew Murray and Jan Hejda also chipped in a goal each. Paul Stastny and Tyler Arnason scored power-play goals for the Avalanche, who lost their second straight following a five-game winning streak. Avalanche D Scott Hannan played in his 600th career game Thursday
Calgary Flames (6-3-1) over the Boston Bruins (5-3-3) 3-2
-This game was decided in the 2nd period when Calgary would score on two separate power plays to take a 2-1 lead (Dion Phanuef and Mike Cammalleri - each also had an assist). Dustin Boyd would give the Flames some comfort space and Calgary would hold on for the win. Phaneuf's power-play goal at 2:29 of the second period ended Bruins G Tim Thomas' shutout streak at 152 minutes and 14 seconds. Patrice Bergeron and Blake Wheeler scored for Boston, which had its three-game winning streak snapped. Calgary C Wayne Primeau played in his 700th NHL game while D Robyn Regehr appeared in career game No. 600. Primeau is on his sixth NHL team while all of Regehr's games have come with Calgary.G Miike Kiprusoff and New Jersey's Martin Brodeur are the only goalies remaining that have played every minute of their team's games. Calgary C Matthew Lombardi remains sidelined with a shoulder injury.
Phoenix Coyotes (4-4-0) over the Pittsburgh Penguins (5-4-2) 4-1
Phoenix Coyotes (4-4-0) over the Pittsburgh Penguins (5-4-2) 4-1
-Shane Doan scored twice and added an assist, and the Phoenix Coyotes beat Pittsburgh 4-1 on Thursday night. Olli Jokinen also scored, Steven Reinprecht and Zbynek Michalek each had two assists and Ilya Bryzgalov made 27 saves for Phoenix. The big story here is Sidney Crosby was injuried in the game. "I had some discomfort," said Crosby, who left the game with less than 5 minutes left in the second period. "I decided that in the third period, it didn't seem like I could do much." What happened to Crosby is unclear. Television replays showed Crosby skate to the Penguins bench, sit down with a grimace and try to collect himself. The Penguins went more than 15 minutes before recording its first shot on goal and finished the first period with two.
Vancouver Canucks (5-5-0) over the Los Angeles Kings (3-5-1) 4-0
-Canucks G Roberto Luongo earned his 40th career shutout and became only the 28th goalie ever to record 40 regular season shutouts. Luongo's next appearance will make him the 51st goaltender to appear in 500 regular-season NHL games. Daniel Sedin and Kyle Wellwood scored a PP goal each (btw, Vancouver HAS to be glad that no one else claimed Wellwood when they put him on waivers) and Mason Raymond and Taylor Pyatt also scored for Vancouver. Henrik Sedin had two assists as well. Vancouver shut down seven LA power plays.
AROUND THE BOARDS
-The Moscow Dynamo website reports that Montreal Canadiens D prospect Pavel Valentenko has signed a three-year deal with the KHL club. The news comes just after the Hamilton Bulldogs (AHL) gave him an indefinite leave to attend to family matters back in Russia. A Canadiens spokesman said the team was unaware of the signing.
-The Nashville Predators have acquired forward Hugh Jessiman from the New York Rangers and defenceman Tim Ramholt from the Philadelphia Flyers. The Predators sent forward Josh Gratton to the Flyers on Thursday. The Rangers get future considerations for Jessiman. Jessiman has spent the past three seasons with Hartford in the AHL and Charlotte in the ECHL. Ramholt has played mostly in the minor leagues. Jessiman and Ramholt will be assigned to Milwaukee of the AHL.
-The Blues have signed goaltender Chris Holt. Holt played in two games with the Peoria Rivermen (AHL), posting a 2-0-0 record, a .915 save percentage and a 2.00 goals against average. Holt spent the last three seasons in the New York Rangers system, splitting time between the ECHL's Charlotte Checkers and the AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack this past season.
-Patrice Bergeron speaks out about the Brandon Sutter hit (courtesy of TSN.ca)
GAME OF THE NIGHT
Vancouver Canucks (5-5-0) @ Anaheim Ducks (6-5-0) – 10PM
-This is an interesting match-up of two Western Conference foes. The Ducks are riding a five game winning streak and are coming off a big win over the Red Wings on Wednesday night. The Canucks are coming off a strong showing against LA last night (4-0 win). The Canucks are an enigmatic team this year. When they play well, they look outright dominant. When they struggle, they look like a ECHL team could beat them. Vancouver actually matches up well against Anaheim and this one should go deep in to 3rd period.
Other Action:
Dallas (4-4-2) @ Chicago (3-3-3) – 8:30PM
^All times Eastern
Dallas (4-4-2) @ Chicago (3-3-3) – 8:30PM
^All times Eastern
*My weekly power rankings, "PLUS/MINUS", comes out on Monday evenings
~Dropping the Gloves with Andrew Bogusch comes out on Wednesday evenings
FEEL FREE TO COMMENT OR SEND ANY THOUGHTS TO FROMTHESLOT@GMAIL.COM
~Dropping the Gloves with Andrew Bogusch comes out on Wednesday evenings
FEEL FREE TO COMMENT OR SEND ANY THOUGHTS TO FROMTHESLOT@GMAIL.COM
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