TOP STORY
BOOMING BRUINS
BOOMING BRUINS
(Photo Credit: Boston Globe)
Bruins C Marc Savard shoves Penguins D Brooks Orpik to the ice in the win
Boston Bruins (28-5-4) over the Pittsburgh Penguins (19-14-4) 5-2
TOP PERFORMER = Bruins C Marc Savard - 1 Goal, 2 Assists
Talk about two teams heading in opposite directions. The Bruins are now the hottest team in the NHL (sorry San Jose, you've slipped a little lately) while the Penguins can't seem to get a consistent string of wins going. Last night was a continuation of those two story lines.
Petr Sykora put the Penguins on the board with three minutes remaining in the 1st period. The floodgatesd opened in the 2nd period starting with Zdeno Chara scoring on the power play (7th goal of the season). Marc Savard added his own power play goal to make it a 2-1. Pascal Dupuis tied the game back up at two on a feed from Sidney Crosby, but Phil Kessel scored his 23rd of the season to give Boston back the lead. In the 3rd period, Martin St. Pierre added a shorthanded goal and Dennis Wideman (who also had two assists) scored his 8th goal of the season.
Boston won its ninth straight game, the longest win streak for the franchise since Jan. 8-29, 1983. G Tim Thomas stopped 32 shots for his seventh consecutive victory. "We just want to win every game," said defenseman Zdeno Chara. "The stats and the history is one thing, but playing every game the best we can is another thing. After each game we want to look forward instead of back on whatever the record is." Next up for the B's is the back end of the home and home with Pittsburgh tomorrow night.
Sidney Crosby played in his 250th NHL game and recorded an assist. His 344 career points are the sixth-most through a player's first 250 NHL games in history. Penguins C Jordan Staal (20 years, 111 days) became the youngest player to appear in 200 NHL games. Penguins D Hal Gill returned after missing 10 games due to a shoulder injury. The Penguins dropped to 8-8-2 at home. A big part of the reason could be Sidney Crosby only has one power-play goal in 29 games and Evgeni Malkin has none in 20. After the Pens travel to Boston tomorrow, they get a chance to right the ship against a struggling Panthers team at home on Saturday.
OTHER HEADLINES
-Philadelphia Flyers forward Simon Gagne sustained an upper body injury in the first period against the Canucks on last night and did not return. Gagne, who was limited to just 25 games last season due to a concussion, was hit hard into the boards by Vancouver defenceman Kevin Bieksa on the first shift of the game. Gagne went to the bench favouring his left arm and shoulder. The Flyers took exception to the hit, although no penalty was assessed, and captain Mike Richards immediately challenged Bieksa to a fight. Gagne has 18 goals and 22 assists in 35 games for the Flyers this season.
-The Canucks, still missing top goalie Roberto Luongo, added some netminder insurance by acquiring Jason LaBarbera from the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday night for a seventh-round pick in the 2009 draft. LaBarbera will join Curtis Sanford and rookie Cory Schneider, who have been sharing Vancouver's goaltending duties since Luongo was placed on the injured list Nov. 23 because of a groin injury. Luongo resumed skating on his own Tuesday, but isn't expected to be ready for game action for at least three weeks. Sanford will also be out for a while after sustaining a groin injury yesterday during the team's morning skate. He felt well enough to start last night's 3-2 home loss to the Philadelphia Flyers, but was replaced at the start of the second period by backup Schneider. Sanford was placed on the injured list after the game. LaBarbera is expected to get his first start with the Canucks at Nashville on Thursday
-Mats Sundin practiced for the first time with the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday after signing as a free agent before Christmas. Sundin wasn't in the lineup for last night's game against Philadelphia and wasn't sure when he would debut with the Canucks. "I feel the Canucks have a good enough team to be strong in the playoffs," he said. "I hope I can contribute and bring my game back the way I played last season."
LAST NIGHT'S RECAP
Washington Capitals (24-11-3) over the Buffalo Sabres (17-15-5) 4-2
TOP PERFORMER = Capitals C Nicklas Backstrom
-The Capitals scored the first three goals of the game (Brooks Laich-PPG, Chris Bourque-1st career goal and the son of Ray Bourque, Nicklas Backstrom-PPG) before Adam Mair finally got the Sabres on the board in the 3rd period. Boyd Gordon added a shorthanded empty net goal and Clarke MacArthur scored a late PPG. Viktor Kozlov chipped in with two assists and Jose Theodore made 31 saves for his 12th win of the season. Washington has now won 17 of its last 18 games when scoring first. Buffalo has lost four of its last five games, including two OT losses.
Detroit Red Wings (24-7-5) over the Chicago Blackhawks (20-7-7) 4-0
TOP PERFORMER = Red Wings G Ty Conklin - 36 Saves, Shutout
-Pavel Datsyuk (PPG), Johan Franzen (2 Goals, 1 PPG), and Tomas Kopecky all scored to give the Red Wings a 6 point lead in the division. Defensemen Brian Rafalski and Niklas Kronwall each had two assists. Detroit snapped Chicago's team record nine-game win streak as the Red Wings improved to 3-0 vs. Chicago on the year. Their first two wins were in a shootout. Detroit D Nicklas Lidstrom missed his second game due to a sore ankl while RW Mikael Samuelsson missed the game because of the flu. Wings D Chris Chelios, the oldest player in the NHL at 46, played in his third game of the season. Chicago D Cam Barker didn't play because of a lower body injury.
Montreal Canadiens (21-9-6) over the Tampa Bay Lightning (10-16-10) 2-1 (SO)
TOP PERFORMER = Canadiens C Maxim Lapierre - 1 Assist, GW SO Goal
-Vinny Prospal scored a PPG for Tampa in the 1st period and Guillaume Latendresse scored his 5th of the season to tie the game :46 in to the 3rd period. In the shootout, Maxim Lapierre scored the game winner to keep the Canadiens unbeaten in their last six games (5-0-1). The shootout loss snaps a three game winning streeak for Tampa Bay. Lightning RW Mark Recchi played in his 1,446th NHL game, tying him with Hall of Famer Tim Horton for 17th place on the league's career list.
Toronto Maple Leafs (15-16-6) over the Atlanta Thrashers (12-20-5) 4-3 (OT)
TOP PERFORMER = Maple Leafs G Curtis Joseph - 29 Saves, 450 Career Wins
-The Thrashers jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the 1st period thanks to a power play goal from Bryan Little (19th of the season) and Jim Slater's 3rd goal of the season. Nikolai Kulemin cut the lead to 1 before the end of the period. In the 2nd period, Lee Stempniak and Jason Blake scored to give the Leafs a 3-2 lead heading in to the 2nd intermission. In the 3rd period, Colby Armstrong scored his 10th of the season on the power play to force overtime. In the extra session, Pavel Kubina scored :33 in on the power play to give the Leafs the win. Thrashers G Johan Hedberg made 43 saves in the loss while Curits Joseph made 29 saves for his 450th career win. Leafs winger Jeremy Williams suffered a shoulder injury falling awkwardly into the boards early in the first period and didn't return. He came in with five goals and two assists since his recall Dec. 7.
New Jersey Devils (21-11-3) over the St. Louis Blues (14-20-3) 4-3
TOP PERFORMER = Devils LW Zach Parise - 2 Goals
-The Devils drew first blood in the 1st period when Zach Parise scored his 20th goal of the season. Brad Boyes and David Backes. In the 2nd period, Brian Rolston tied the game at 2. In the 3rd period, Zach Parise scored his 2nd goal of the game and Jay Pandolfo scored the eventual game winner. Alexander Steen added a late goal. Jamie Langenbrunner chipped with two assists and Scott Clemmensen made 28 saves in the win. St. Louis C T.J. Oshie returned to the lineup after missing 11 games due to a high-ankle sprain and has one assist. The Blues fell to 2-9-0 in their last 11 games overall.
Ottawa Senators (13-17-5) over the Edmonton Oilers (17-15-3) 3-2
TOP PERFORMER = Senators C Jason Spezza - 1 Goal, 1 Assist
-Jason Spezza and Ethan Moreau traded goals in the 1st period and Daniel Alfredsson and Liam Reddox traded goals in the 2nd period. In the 3rd, Brian Lee scored his first career goal on the power play to give the Senators the win and it would snap a 12 game road losing streak for Ottawa. The game started 25 minutes late because the lights at aging Rexall Place didn't fire up after the national anthem. Both teams returned to their locker rooms during the delay.
Philadelphia Flyers (20-10-7) over the Vancouver Canucks (20-15-3) 3-2
TOP PERFORMER = Flyers G Martin Biron - 29 Saves
-Jeff Carter scored his league-leading 27th goal of the season to open the scoring in the 1st period. Daniel Sedin tied the game on the power play, but Scott Hartnell would give Philadelphia the lead :45 later. In the 2nd period, Jonathon Kalinski scored his first career NHL goal and the eventual game winner. Ryan Kesler added a goal for Vancouver later in the 2nd period.
RUMOR MILL
-So where will the next Winter Classic be? Some possibilities that are coming down the pipeline are:
NY Rangers vs. Boston in NY (it would have to be the new Yankee Stadium, Citi Field - the Mets new home, or Giants Stadium)
Toronto or Montreal vs. Boston at Fenway Park
Pittsburgh vs. Philadelphia at Beaver Stadium (Penn State)
Philadelphia vs. Washington at Lincoln Financial Field
Other future options are LA-Colorado at Invesco Field (aka Mile High Stadium) and an outdoor Flames-Oilers game.
AROUND THE BOARDS
-The United States coasted into the world junior hockey championship playoffs with a 12-0 rout of Kazakhstan on yesterday. The U.S. will play Canada in a match of 3-0-0 teams Wednesday with top spot in Group A on the line. Kazakhstan (0-3-0) will head to the relegation round after suffering yet another rout. Canada trounced Kazakhstan 15-0 on Sunday. Aaron Palushaj lead the Americans with two goals and two assists. Colin Wilson also had two goals, while James van Riemsdyk and Ian Cole each had a goal and two assists. Matt Rust, Mitch Wahl, Drayson Bowman, Mike Hoeffel, Jimmy Hayes and Danny Kristo had the other U.S. goals. Kevin Shattenkirk added three assists. American goaltender Thomas McCollum needed to make just 10 saves to earn the shutout. Andrei Yankov made 49 saves on 61 shots for Kazakhstan. For more on the World Junior Championships, go to http://www.tsn.ca/world_jrs/
-The NHL is looking at holding its annual awards show in Las Vegas. A source familiar with negotiations said Tuesday that the move would help the league make more of a splash with its season-ending gala. Everyone from sponsors to media to personnel from the NHL's 30 teams would converge on the city, making it more of an event than it has been in recent years. There could also be a natural tie-in with entertainment acts that hasn't really been there in the past. The primary reason the Vegas move has yet to be finalized is because the league has not decided exactly where the show will fall on the calendar. It has traditionally been held the week after the Stanley Cup final in June - just ahead of the entry draft. Notably, the timing of this year's awards show is listed as ''TBA'' in the NHL's official guide and record book. The source said the league would like the Vegas show to be held after the draft so that team representatives would be more likely to attend. This year's draft is scheduled for June 26-27 at the Bell Centre in Montreal, which leaves a small window before the free agency period opens on July 1. Toronto has traditionally hosted the awards show but the league is hoping that Las Vegas would draw more sponsors. The NHL has already had discussions with The Palms Casino and Resort about hosting the event. It has also consulted its television partners about the move and received positive feedback. The league handed out its awards in Vancouver the same weekend the city held the draft two years ago, but that was because the Turin Olympics caused the Stanley Cup final to end later than normal. It was moved back to Toronto the following June. - COURTESY OF THE CANADIAN PRESS
-The Tampa Bay Lightning signed goaltender Dustin Tokarski to a standard three-year entry level contract on Tuesday. The Humboldt, Saskatchewan native is currently playing for Team Canada at the 2009 World Junior Championship in Ottawa. The 19-year-old is midway through his third season with Spokane of the Western Hockey League where he has posted a record of 16-9-2 with four shutouts, a 1.97 goals-against average and a.955 save percentage. Tokarski led Spokane to the 2008 Memorial Cup with a 16-5 record in 21 post-season games, earning him the Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy as the Memorial Cup Tournament MVP. Selected by the Lightning in the fifth round, 122nd overall at the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, Tokarski has appeared in 97 career games in three seasons in Spokane, posting a record of 59-30-7 with 12 shutouts.
-Willie O'Ree, the NHL's first black player, received a rare honor in becoming a member of The Order of Canada. ''I was at a loss for words, really, when they contacted me this morning,'' O'Ree said from his home in San Diego. O'Ree was one of 42 people named as Members of the Order. The recipients of the order will be invited to receive their insignia at a ceremony to be held at a later date. The Order of Canada was first awarded in 1967 to recognize significant contributions to Canadian society.
-Yesterday marked the 27th anniversary of Wayne Gretzky's five-goal game against Philadelphia in Edmonton that lifted The Great One to 50 goals in just 39 games.
Boston Bruins (28-5-4) over the Pittsburgh Penguins (19-14-4) 5-2
TOP PERFORMER = Bruins C Marc Savard - 1 Goal, 2 Assists
Talk about two teams heading in opposite directions. The Bruins are now the hottest team in the NHL (sorry San Jose, you've slipped a little lately) while the Penguins can't seem to get a consistent string of wins going. Last night was a continuation of those two story lines.
Petr Sykora put the Penguins on the board with three minutes remaining in the 1st period. The floodgatesd opened in the 2nd period starting with Zdeno Chara scoring on the power play (7th goal of the season). Marc Savard added his own power play goal to make it a 2-1. Pascal Dupuis tied the game back up at two on a feed from Sidney Crosby, but Phil Kessel scored his 23rd of the season to give Boston back the lead. In the 3rd period, Martin St. Pierre added a shorthanded goal and Dennis Wideman (who also had two assists) scored his 8th goal of the season.
Boston won its ninth straight game, the longest win streak for the franchise since Jan. 8-29, 1983. G Tim Thomas stopped 32 shots for his seventh consecutive victory. "We just want to win every game," said defenseman Zdeno Chara. "The stats and the history is one thing, but playing every game the best we can is another thing. After each game we want to look forward instead of back on whatever the record is." Next up for the B's is the back end of the home and home with Pittsburgh tomorrow night.
Sidney Crosby played in his 250th NHL game and recorded an assist. His 344 career points are the sixth-most through a player's first 250 NHL games in history. Penguins C Jordan Staal (20 years, 111 days) became the youngest player to appear in 200 NHL games. Penguins D Hal Gill returned after missing 10 games due to a shoulder injury. The Penguins dropped to 8-8-2 at home. A big part of the reason could be Sidney Crosby only has one power-play goal in 29 games and Evgeni Malkin has none in 20. After the Pens travel to Boston tomorrow, they get a chance to right the ship against a struggling Panthers team at home on Saturday.
OTHER HEADLINES
-Philadelphia Flyers forward Simon Gagne sustained an upper body injury in the first period against the Canucks on last night and did not return. Gagne, who was limited to just 25 games last season due to a concussion, was hit hard into the boards by Vancouver defenceman Kevin Bieksa on the first shift of the game. Gagne went to the bench favouring his left arm and shoulder. The Flyers took exception to the hit, although no penalty was assessed, and captain Mike Richards immediately challenged Bieksa to a fight. Gagne has 18 goals and 22 assists in 35 games for the Flyers this season.
-The Canucks, still missing top goalie Roberto Luongo, added some netminder insurance by acquiring Jason LaBarbera from the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday night for a seventh-round pick in the 2009 draft. LaBarbera will join Curtis Sanford and rookie Cory Schneider, who have been sharing Vancouver's goaltending duties since Luongo was placed on the injured list Nov. 23 because of a groin injury. Luongo resumed skating on his own Tuesday, but isn't expected to be ready for game action for at least three weeks. Sanford will also be out for a while after sustaining a groin injury yesterday during the team's morning skate. He felt well enough to start last night's 3-2 home loss to the Philadelphia Flyers, but was replaced at the start of the second period by backup Schneider. Sanford was placed on the injured list after the game. LaBarbera is expected to get his first start with the Canucks at Nashville on Thursday
-Mats Sundin practiced for the first time with the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday after signing as a free agent before Christmas. Sundin wasn't in the lineup for last night's game against Philadelphia and wasn't sure when he would debut with the Canucks. "I feel the Canucks have a good enough team to be strong in the playoffs," he said. "I hope I can contribute and bring my game back the way I played last season."
LAST NIGHT'S RECAP
Washington Capitals (24-11-3) over the Buffalo Sabres (17-15-5) 4-2
TOP PERFORMER = Capitals C Nicklas Backstrom
-The Capitals scored the first three goals of the game (Brooks Laich-PPG, Chris Bourque-1st career goal and the son of Ray Bourque, Nicklas Backstrom-PPG) before Adam Mair finally got the Sabres on the board in the 3rd period. Boyd Gordon added a shorthanded empty net goal and Clarke MacArthur scored a late PPG. Viktor Kozlov chipped in with two assists and Jose Theodore made 31 saves for his 12th win of the season. Washington has now won 17 of its last 18 games when scoring first. Buffalo has lost four of its last five games, including two OT losses.
Detroit Red Wings (24-7-5) over the Chicago Blackhawks (20-7-7) 4-0
TOP PERFORMER = Red Wings G Ty Conklin - 36 Saves, Shutout
-Pavel Datsyuk (PPG), Johan Franzen (2 Goals, 1 PPG), and Tomas Kopecky all scored to give the Red Wings a 6 point lead in the division. Defensemen Brian Rafalski and Niklas Kronwall each had two assists. Detroit snapped Chicago's team record nine-game win streak as the Red Wings improved to 3-0 vs. Chicago on the year. Their first two wins were in a shootout. Detroit D Nicklas Lidstrom missed his second game due to a sore ankl while RW Mikael Samuelsson missed the game because of the flu. Wings D Chris Chelios, the oldest player in the NHL at 46, played in his third game of the season. Chicago D Cam Barker didn't play because of a lower body injury.
Montreal Canadiens (21-9-6) over the Tampa Bay Lightning (10-16-10) 2-1 (SO)
TOP PERFORMER = Canadiens C Maxim Lapierre - 1 Assist, GW SO Goal
-Vinny Prospal scored a PPG for Tampa in the 1st period and Guillaume Latendresse scored his 5th of the season to tie the game :46 in to the 3rd period. In the shootout, Maxim Lapierre scored the game winner to keep the Canadiens unbeaten in their last six games (5-0-1). The shootout loss snaps a three game winning streeak for Tampa Bay. Lightning RW Mark Recchi played in his 1,446th NHL game, tying him with Hall of Famer Tim Horton for 17th place on the league's career list.
Toronto Maple Leafs (15-16-6) over the Atlanta Thrashers (12-20-5) 4-3 (OT)
TOP PERFORMER = Maple Leafs G Curtis Joseph - 29 Saves, 450 Career Wins
-The Thrashers jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the 1st period thanks to a power play goal from Bryan Little (19th of the season) and Jim Slater's 3rd goal of the season. Nikolai Kulemin cut the lead to 1 before the end of the period. In the 2nd period, Lee Stempniak and Jason Blake scored to give the Leafs a 3-2 lead heading in to the 2nd intermission. In the 3rd period, Colby Armstrong scored his 10th of the season on the power play to force overtime. In the extra session, Pavel Kubina scored :33 in on the power play to give the Leafs the win. Thrashers G Johan Hedberg made 43 saves in the loss while Curits Joseph made 29 saves for his 450th career win. Leafs winger Jeremy Williams suffered a shoulder injury falling awkwardly into the boards early in the first period and didn't return. He came in with five goals and two assists since his recall Dec. 7.
New Jersey Devils (21-11-3) over the St. Louis Blues (14-20-3) 4-3
TOP PERFORMER = Devils LW Zach Parise - 2 Goals
-The Devils drew first blood in the 1st period when Zach Parise scored his 20th goal of the season. Brad Boyes and David Backes. In the 2nd period, Brian Rolston tied the game at 2. In the 3rd period, Zach Parise scored his 2nd goal of the game and Jay Pandolfo scored the eventual game winner. Alexander Steen added a late goal. Jamie Langenbrunner chipped with two assists and Scott Clemmensen made 28 saves in the win. St. Louis C T.J. Oshie returned to the lineup after missing 11 games due to a high-ankle sprain and has one assist. The Blues fell to 2-9-0 in their last 11 games overall.
Ottawa Senators (13-17-5) over the Edmonton Oilers (17-15-3) 3-2
TOP PERFORMER = Senators C Jason Spezza - 1 Goal, 1 Assist
-Jason Spezza and Ethan Moreau traded goals in the 1st period and Daniel Alfredsson and Liam Reddox traded goals in the 2nd period. In the 3rd, Brian Lee scored his first career goal on the power play to give the Senators the win and it would snap a 12 game road losing streak for Ottawa. The game started 25 minutes late because the lights at aging Rexall Place didn't fire up after the national anthem. Both teams returned to their locker rooms during the delay.
Philadelphia Flyers (20-10-7) over the Vancouver Canucks (20-15-3) 3-2
TOP PERFORMER = Flyers G Martin Biron - 29 Saves
-Jeff Carter scored his league-leading 27th goal of the season to open the scoring in the 1st period. Daniel Sedin tied the game on the power play, but Scott Hartnell would give Philadelphia the lead :45 later. In the 2nd period, Jonathon Kalinski scored his first career NHL goal and the eventual game winner. Ryan Kesler added a goal for Vancouver later in the 2nd period.
RUMOR MILL
-So where will the next Winter Classic be? Some possibilities that are coming down the pipeline are:
NY Rangers vs. Boston in NY (it would have to be the new Yankee Stadium, Citi Field - the Mets new home, or Giants Stadium)
Toronto or Montreal vs. Boston at Fenway Park
Pittsburgh vs. Philadelphia at Beaver Stadium (Penn State)
Philadelphia vs. Washington at Lincoln Financial Field
Other future options are LA-Colorado at Invesco Field (aka Mile High Stadium) and an outdoor Flames-Oilers game.
AROUND THE BOARDS
-The United States coasted into the world junior hockey championship playoffs with a 12-0 rout of Kazakhstan on yesterday. The U.S. will play Canada in a match of 3-0-0 teams Wednesday with top spot in Group A on the line. Kazakhstan (0-3-0) will head to the relegation round after suffering yet another rout. Canada trounced Kazakhstan 15-0 on Sunday. Aaron Palushaj lead the Americans with two goals and two assists. Colin Wilson also had two goals, while James van Riemsdyk and Ian Cole each had a goal and two assists. Matt Rust, Mitch Wahl, Drayson Bowman, Mike Hoeffel, Jimmy Hayes and Danny Kristo had the other U.S. goals. Kevin Shattenkirk added three assists. American goaltender Thomas McCollum needed to make just 10 saves to earn the shutout. Andrei Yankov made 49 saves on 61 shots for Kazakhstan. For more on the World Junior Championships, go to http://www.tsn.ca/world_jrs/
-The NHL is looking at holding its annual awards show in Las Vegas. A source familiar with negotiations said Tuesday that the move would help the league make more of a splash with its season-ending gala. Everyone from sponsors to media to personnel from the NHL's 30 teams would converge on the city, making it more of an event than it has been in recent years. There could also be a natural tie-in with entertainment acts that hasn't really been there in the past. The primary reason the Vegas move has yet to be finalized is because the league has not decided exactly where the show will fall on the calendar. It has traditionally been held the week after the Stanley Cup final in June - just ahead of the entry draft. Notably, the timing of this year's awards show is listed as ''TBA'' in the NHL's official guide and record book. The source said the league would like the Vegas show to be held after the draft so that team representatives would be more likely to attend. This year's draft is scheduled for June 26-27 at the Bell Centre in Montreal, which leaves a small window before the free agency period opens on July 1. Toronto has traditionally hosted the awards show but the league is hoping that Las Vegas would draw more sponsors. The NHL has already had discussions with The Palms Casino and Resort about hosting the event. It has also consulted its television partners about the move and received positive feedback. The league handed out its awards in Vancouver the same weekend the city held the draft two years ago, but that was because the Turin Olympics caused the Stanley Cup final to end later than normal. It was moved back to Toronto the following June. - COURTESY OF THE CANADIAN PRESS
-The Tampa Bay Lightning signed goaltender Dustin Tokarski to a standard three-year entry level contract on Tuesday. The Humboldt, Saskatchewan native is currently playing for Team Canada at the 2009 World Junior Championship in Ottawa. The 19-year-old is midway through his third season with Spokane of the Western Hockey League where he has posted a record of 16-9-2 with four shutouts, a 1.97 goals-against average and a.955 save percentage. Tokarski led Spokane to the 2008 Memorial Cup with a 16-5 record in 21 post-season games, earning him the Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy as the Memorial Cup Tournament MVP. Selected by the Lightning in the fifth round, 122nd overall at the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, Tokarski has appeared in 97 career games in three seasons in Spokane, posting a record of 59-30-7 with 12 shutouts.
-Willie O'Ree, the NHL's first black player, received a rare honor in becoming a member of The Order of Canada. ''I was at a loss for words, really, when they contacted me this morning,'' O'Ree said from his home in San Diego. O'Ree was one of 42 people named as Members of the Order. The recipients of the order will be invited to receive their insignia at a ceremony to be held at a later date. The Order of Canada was first awarded in 1967 to recognize significant contributions to Canadian society.
-Yesterday marked the 27th anniversary of Wayne Gretzky's five-goal game against Philadelphia in Edmonton that lifted The Great One to 50 goals in just 39 games.
TONIGHT'S ACTION:
Florida @ NY Islanders - 2PM
San Jose @ Minnesota - 6PM
Atlanta @ Carolina - 8PM
Colorado @ Phoenix - 8PM
New Jersey @ Dallas - 8:30PM
Columbus @ Anaheim - 9PM
%Edmonton @ Calgary - 10PM
% = Game of the Night
^ALL TIMES EASTERN
*My weekly power rankings, "PLUS/MINUS", will take a week off this week and resume on 1/5.
~Dropping the Gloves with Andrew Bogusch comes out tonight!
FEEL FREE TO COMMENT OR EMAIL ANYTIME HERE OR AT FROMTHESLOT@GMAIL.COM
TO ALL THE READERS OF FTS, HAVE A HAPPY AND HEALTHY NEW YEAR. FTS WILL BE OFF UNTIL MONDAY 1/5, SO ENJOY THE WINTER CLASSIC TOMORROW!
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