FTS - 10/25/08

TOP STORY

Phinally!

(Credit AP)

AP Story: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hxP38-ptHX5xC3jCvPmLyhYAUu6gD9417MJ80

Philadelphia Flyers (1-3-3) over New Jersey Devils (5-2-0) 6-3

-It took 7 games to do it and they were the last NHL team to do it this season, but the Philadelphia Flyers finally dented the win column. This was a see saw game in the first period, but the Flyers took control in the 2nd period and then clamped down in the 3rd period.

This was the Flyers team we all remember from the 2007-08 season. Keep in mind, they do all of this in the first game after they find out that their leading scorer and team leader Daniel Briere is going to be out for a month. This victory hasn’t righted the ship just yet, but sweeping the home and home would be a huge step in the right direction.

In a game where a captain needs to step up, center Mike Richards answered the call with four assists. The fan favorite delivered in a early, but big division game. The Flyers got two goals from winger Scott Hartnell and 1 goal each from their usual suspects (Carter, Knuble, Gagne and Lupul). Goalie Martin Biron made a decent 23 saves in what has been a rough start for him thus far.

On the New Jersey side of things, F Jamie Langenbrunner sustained an undisclosed lower body injury. His status for Saturday's night's rematch in Philadelphia was uncertain. The Devils goals from their usual suspects as well (Dainus Zubrus, Zach Parise, Travis Zajac). The back end of the home and home is in Philly at 4PM.

OTHER HEADLINES

-The aforementioned Flyers will be without the services of forward Daniel Briere for up to a month after he suffered a torn abdominal muscle in Wednesday's shootout loss to the San Jose Sharks. He will undergo surgery on Saturday. Briere currently leads the Flyers in scoring with three goals and four assists in six games.

(Photo Credit: Kansas City Star)

Hockey mom Sarah Palin is doing damage in the very sport she proclaims to be a mom of.
AP Story: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gdEqJSITTHWARaIAp0w6yZkZ8c2wD9419H1O0

RUMOR MILL

-Mats Sundin will be heading to the L.A. area this week and has plans to work out and skate if he feels like doing it. Basically, everyone is interpreting this to be some big development. While it’s nice to see that he is beginning to get back in game shape, he’s at least a month away from being ready, and he may not decide until then. He’s waiting to see where the chips begin to fall in the standings before he makes his pick. Basically, no new teams have been added or eliminated from the Sundin chase. (See the oldest blog for potential suitors)

LAST NIGHT’S RECAP

Anaheim Ducks (3-5-0) over Ottawa Senators (2-4-1) 4-3
-Ducks LW Ryan Getzlaf scored his first goal of the season and it turned out to be the game winner in the road victory. Anaheim had a 4-0 lead after two periods and held off a 3rd period rally from Ottawa. Another slow starter for Anaheim was LW Teemu Selanne. He registered an assist tonight, It’s his first of the season and 2nd point, but he was a +2 in a 1 goal game. He’s a little bit older now, so maybe he needs a little more time to get hot. Ducks backup G Jonas Hiller made 27 saves in the win. Senators backup G Alex Auld made 28 saves in his second start for Ottawa, which has lost three straight and is 1-4 on the homestand. This was the teams first meeting since Ottawa defeated Anaheim for the Stanley Cup in 2007.

NY Rangers (7-2-1) over Columbus Blue Jackets (3-4-0) 3-1
-Talk about a homecoming for RW Nikolai Zherdev. After not reaching expectations in Columbus, he contributes on all Ranger goals with 1 goal and 1 assists. The 1 goal he scored made it 3-1, but it was almost like he was rubbing it in with one of the nicer backhands I’ve seen in awhile. The Rangers 2nd goal came in a bounce off of Brandon Dubinsky’s skate. I was shocked they didn’t disallow it. Another major story is Rangers head coach Tom Renney left the game midway through the 2nd period after getting hit in the head with the blade of a stick. It was a pretty hard blow to a guy not wearing a helmet. He was briefly knocked unconscious and didn’t return. Columbus C Michael Peca played his first game after a five-game suspension for making contact with an official in the season-opener in Dallas. This was the Rangers first in win Columbus since their first game there back in 2001.

Detroit Red Wings (5-1-1) over Atlanta Thrashers (2-3-2) 5-3
-RW Marian Hossa stuck it to his old team again tonight by notching two goals an an assist. LW Henrik Zetterberg seemed to be at full strength again by scoring two goals himself. Detroit D Brian Rafalski has two assists to extend his point streak to start the season to seven games (a goal and eight assists). Red Wings G Chris Osgood made 30 saves while Thrashers goalie Kari Lehtonen stopped 41 pucks. Thrashers C Marty Reasoner limped off the ice and went to the locker room after blocking a shot early in the second period. He will be re-evaluated today.

Florida Panthers (4-3-0) over San Jose Sharks (6-2-0) 4-3
-The Panthers finally broke the W-L alternating streak with back to back wins as they defeated the San Jose Sharks 4-3. Florida LW Cory Stillman had two goals and Tomas Vokoun was put to the test, turning away 47 of 50 shots. Richard Zednik and Nathan Horton also scored for the Panthers. Zednik's goal was his first of the season and the first since he sustained a life-threatening neck injury in Buffalo last February. Evgeni Nabokov made 30 saves for San Jose, which has allowed four or more goals in each of its last four games. This is an impressive win for a team from the Southeast Division.

Los Angeles Kings (3-3-0) over St. Louis Blues (4-3-0) 4-0
-Sarah Palin can count on not dropping anymore ceremonial first pucks at hockey games anymore. She opened up the Flyers season by dropping the puck and they didn’t win until their 7th game. When she did it tonight, Blues G Manny Legace tripped on a carpet laid out for her to walk on the ice and could be out for at least a month. Ben Bishop stepped in and made 15 saves. At 6’7”, he is the tallest goalie to ever suit up in the NHL. Chris Mason will get a chance to prove himself again from the backup spot. Over on the LA Bench, Jason LaBarbera made 15 saves to get the shutout and had a 2 point performance from RW Dustin Brown (1G 1A). The Kings have won 3 of their past 4 after opening the season 0-2.

AROUND THE BOARDS

-Panthers D Bryan Allen out indefinitely.
AP Story: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/hockey/panthers/sfl-1024-pantnews24,0,2161811.story – COURTESY SOUTH FLORIDA SUN-SENTINEL

-The NHL Winter Classic2009 jerseys will be unveiled during the broadcast of the game between the Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings on Saturday, Oct. 25. The game will be televised locally in both markets and will be the first meeting of the season for the clubs. Both teams will wear a unique, one-time-only jersey while playing in the NHL Winter Classic2009 at Chicago's historic Wrigley Field on New Year's Day. The game will be the 701st all-time meeting of the clubs. No NHL opponents have played more regular-season games against each other. – NHL.com

GAME OF THE NIGHT

Pittsburgh Penguins (5-2-1) @ New York Rangers (7-2-1) – 7PM
- Crosby & Malkin taking the Garden ice doesn’t need much hype. This is the first meeting between these two teams this season. The Penguins have yet to lose in regulation on the road or in the division. The Rangers are undefeated in the division so far. Evegni Malkin already has 13 points on the season (10 of them assists)

Other Action:
New Jersey (5-2-0) @ Philadelphia (1-3-3) – 4PM
Atlanta (2-3-2) @ Boston (2-2-3) – 7PM
Anaheim (3-5-0) @ Montreal (5-0-1) – 7PM
Carolina (3-2-1) @ NY Islanders (2-4-0) – 7PM
Ottawa (2-4-1) @ Toronto (2-2-3) – 7PM
San Jose (6-2-0) @ Tampa Bay (1-2-3) – 7:30PM
Washington (3-3-1) @ Dallas (3-4-1) – 8PM
Los Angeles (3-3-0) @ Nashville (3-4-0) – 8PM
Columbus (3-4-0) @ Minnesota (4-0-1) – 8PM
Detroit (5-1-1)@ Chicago (3-2-2) – 7:30PM
Florida (4-3-0) @ St. Louis (4-3-0) – 7:30PM
Buffalo (6-0-1) @ Colorado (4-3-0) – 9PM
Edmonton (4-2-0) @ Vancouver (3-4-0) – 10PM
Calgary (3-3-1) @ Phoenix (3-3-0) – 10PM

^^All times Eastern

**My weekly power rankings, “Plus/Minus” comes out Monday Evenings.

FEEL FREE TO POST COMMENTS OR EMAIL ME DIRECTLY AT FROMTHESLOT@GMAIL.COM

FTS - 10/24/08

TOP STORY

Buffalo Battles Back the Wild

Ryan Miller Turns In Another Solid Performance

(Photo Credit: Paul Battaglia - AP)

AP Story: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jJCtogw4teMINIXHAbjwS2q6k66AD940JGVG6

Buffalo Sabres (6-0-1) over the Minnesota Wild (4-0-1) 4-3 in OT

-The Buffalo Sabres have yet to lose in regulation and keep finding different ways to win. Tonight, they handed the Minnesota Wild their first loss of the year despite trailing 3-1 in the 3rd period.

Buffalo would get regulation goals from Drew Stafford, Adam Mair and Thomas Vanek (his 8th of the season). Derek Roy would score the clincher :44 in to overtime. Despite scoring a goal on his own net, Ryan Miller made 30 saves. Buffalo keeps up their winning ways despite being without two of their key players. C Tim Connolly (back) missed his seventh straight game and C Jochen Hecht (finger) sat out his fifth consecutive game. Both are listed as day to day. Next up for the Sabres is a road game against the Colorado Avalanche.

Benoit Pouliot, Stephane Veilleux and Brent Burns scored the 3 Wild goals in the loss. Minnesota played its third straight game without RW Marian Gaborik (lower body) and RW Owen Nolan (leg). Nolan might return Saturday against the Blue Jackets.

OTHER HEADLINES

(Photo Credit - Paul Beatty - AP)

Vancouver Canucks' center Pavol Demitra will be sidelined 3-4 weeks after an MRI discovered fractured cartilage in his ribs. Demitra, who signed with the Canucks as a free agent this summer, is expected to see a specialist on Friday to deal with the injury.

Kyle Wellwood is expected to take Demitra's place in the lineup.This season, Demitra has scored two goals and added one assist for three points in six games. The Canucks host the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday at GM Place. – COURTESY OF TSN.

RUMOR MILL

-No rumors to report today

LAST NIGHT'S RECAP

Toronto Maple Leafs (2-2-3) over the Boston Bruins (2-2-3) 4-2

-For the 5th time in seven games, the Bruins scored first, but it didn't matter as the Toronto Maple Leafs came back from 2-0 to win. Toronto got goals from Anton Stralman, Nik Antropov and Mike Van Ryn. It was an interesting night for Van Ryn, as he was checked through the plexiglass 20 seconds into the second period by Milan Lucic, sending glass flying into the crowd. Toronto went on a 37:20 stretch without allowing a SOG dating back to their last game (against the Ducks). On the bright side for Boston, Patrice Bergeron scored his first goal for the team since 10/13/07. Winger PJ Axelsson returned to the lineup after missing three games with muscle spasms.

Dallas Stars (3-4-1) over the New York Islanders (2-4-0) 5-3

-The Stars jumped out to a 3-0 lead after the first period and never looked back. C Mike Ribeiro chipped in a goal and a career-high four assists. LW Loui Eriksson potted two goals for Dallas. Islanders D Brendan Witt didn't return to the game after a knee-to-knee collision with RW Krystofer Barch in the 1st period. The team said it was an undisclosed lower-body injury, and that Witt would be re-evaluated Friday. G Rick DiPietro made his 2nd straight start of the season and finshed with 24. The Isles have now allowed 12 goals in their last two home games.

Pittsburgh Penguins (5-2-1) over the Carolina Hurricanes (3-2-1) 4-1

-Hurricanes rookie Brandon Sutter (son of Devils HC Brent Sutter and nephew of Flames GM Darryl Sutter) scored his first NHL goal and it was the first goal of the game. The lead would stand until the 3rd period, when Sidney Crosby and Ruslan Fedotenko scored 32 seconds apart to take the lead. The Penguins would never look back. Penguins G Marc-Andre Fleury earned career win #80. The Penguins played without D Hal Gill because of an unspecified injury. Carolina was 0-for-1 on the power play and is 0-for-14 in its last four games. Backup G Michael Leighton got the start despite Cam Ward having a 7-3-1 lifetime record against Pittsburgh.

Calgary Flames (3-3-1) over the Nashville Predators (3-4-0) 5-3

-The Flames battled back after being down 3-0 halfway through the 2nd period thanks to a hat trick from Jarome Iginla and goals from David Moss and Mike Cammalleri. D Dion Phanuef and C Craig Conroy each contributed 2 assists. Preds C Jason Arnott scored a PPG in his first game back after missing three games with a broken finger. Greg Zanon and Jordin Tootoo had the other goals for Nashville.

Colorado Avalanche (4-3-0) over the Edmonton Oilers (4-2-0) 4-1

-The Oilers jumped out to a 1-0 lead, but the Avs would fight back at home and hand Edmonton their 2nd straight loss. C Ian Laperriere contributed a goal and assist for the Avs while goalie Peter Budaj stoped 25 shots in Colorado's 4th straight win. Joe Sakic scored the 625th goal of his NHL career. Oilers D Steve Staios missed a second straight game for personal reasons. Avalanche F David Jones was a late scratch with the flu.

Phoenix Coyotes (3-3-0) over the Washington Capitals (3-3-1) 2-1

-The Coyotes snapped a three-game losing streak thanks to a solid performance from goalie Mikael Tellqvist. Tellqvist made 31 saves in his first start of the season and the Coyotes rallied after Brooks Laich gave the Caps a 1-0 lead in the 2nd period. RWs Mikkel Boedker and Peter Mueller scored four minutes apart early in the third period for the Coyotes, who are 2-0 at home for the first time since 2000. Caps winger Alexander Semin added an assist on Laich's PPGl and now has 11 points in seven games. Washington's power-play goal snapped the Capitals' 1-for-18 skid with the man advantage.

AROUND THE BOARDS

-Defenseman John Erskine signed a two-year contract extension with the Washington Capitals on Thursday. Erskine could have become an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season.

-Veteran defenseman Bret Hedican has signed a one-year contract with the Anaheim Ducks. The 38-year-old Hedican had two goals and 15 assists in 66 games with the Hurricanes last season.

-Defenseman Marek Malik has signed a one-year contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning. In 42 games with the New York Rangers last season, he had two goals and 10 points.

-The Nashville Predators have activated forward Nick Tarnasky off Injured Reserve today. Tarnasky, who was acquired from the Tampa Bay Lightning on September 29, has missed the first six games of the regular season due to an injury (not specified).

-Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Steve Mason has been cleared to resume playing after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery on Sept. 23. He has been assigned to the Syracuse Crunch (AHL)

- D Theo Peckham has been recalled by the Edmonton Oilers from their AHL affiliate (Springfield Falcons).

GAME OF THE NIGHT

Philadelphia Flyers (0-3-3) @ New Jersey Devils (5-1-0) – 7PM

-These two Atlantic Division rivals square off for the first time this season. New Jersey is coming off a 5-0 shellacking of the Dallas Stars on Wednesday night. The Flyers are coming off a 7-6 SO loss to San Jose on Wednesday night and are still looking for their first win of the season. Devils G Martin Brodeur already has 2 shutouts this season and is inching closer to both Patrick Roy's all-time win record and Terry Sawchuk's shutout record. If Philly doesn't win soon, we could be nearing the end of the John Stevens era on Broad Street.

Other Action:

Anaheim (2-5-0) @ Ottawa (2-3-1) - 7PM

NY Rangers (6-2-1) @ Columbus (3-3-0) – 7PM

San Jose (6-1-0) @ Florida (3-3-0) – 7:30PM

Atlanta (2-2-2) @ Detroit (4-1-1) – 7:30PM

Los Angeles (2-3-0) @ St. Louis (4-2-0) – 8:30PM

^^All times Eastern

**My weekly power rankings, "Plus/Minus" comes out Monday Evenings.

FEEL FREE TO POST COMMENTS OR EMAIL ME DIRECTLY AT FROMTHESLOT@GMAIL.COM

FTS - 10/23/08

TOP STORY

GROUNDED AGAIN!

(Photo Credit Tim Mihalek - AP)

The Flyers got close, but failed to get their first win in their sixth try this season

AP Story: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iBpz2Zox15FBIUQPenmkfV8rXwIQD93VU0A80

San Jose Sharks (6-1-0) over the Philadelphia Flyers (0-3-3) 7-6 (SO)

-The Flyers have lost in just about every imaginable way this season. They've lost close ones in regulation to the Rangers and Canadiens. They've been beaten handily by the Avalanche. They've lost in OT to the Penguins and Sharks. Now add a SO loss to San Jose in the back end of the home-and-home.

Flyers RW Joffrey Lupul scored twice for Philly and LW Scott Hartnell added 3 assists. RW Socttie Upshall also contributed a goal and two assists, but those were the only bright spots for Philadelphia. G Antero Niittymaki was pulled after the 1st period in favor of Martin Biron after letting in four goals in on 15 shots.

The Sharks outshot the Flyers 35-29 in this game and Philly has been outshot 114-64 in its last three games. The Flyers are 0-6-3 in their last nine games against the Sharks. Philadelphia LW Simon Gagne was scratched because of the flu.

You have to figure that Flyers HC John Stevens is on the hot seat now (if he wasn't already). I know Philly was playing with three of their top six defensemen hurt, but they have too much talent to not have a win by now. The schedule hasn't been easy, but this is a team that was one step away from the Stanley Cup Finals last year. It doesn't get any easier for the Flyers as they travel to New Jersey to face the Devils on Friday night.

On the flip side, San Jose managed to pull out the win despite blowing a 6-4 win. Sharks C Patrick Marleau had two goals and two assists. LW Ryane Clowe and RW Devin Setoguchi each added a goal and an assist in the win.

Former Flyer Jeremy Roenick scored the shootout winner in what will probably be his last game in the City of Brotherly Love. "This city really means a lot to me. I've have a lot of great memories in this building," said Roenick, who received a nice ovation when he was shown on the jumbo screen early in the game. "That was awesome," he said. "This is one building I'll never forget."

Next up for the best in the West right now is the Florida Panthers in game two of the three game-Eastern Conference road trip.

OTHER HEADLINES

(Photo Credit Rick Stewart of Getty Images)

-Sabres captain and D Craig Rivet will miss at least two weeks after having arthroscopic knee surgery. GM Darcy Regier announced the injury Wednesday and did not say which knee was hurt or when the injury happened. No details of the surgery were provided. Rivet had an assist and logged more than 20 minutes of ice time in a 3-2 shootout win over Boston on Tuesday night. Rivet has three assists in six games this season.

RUMOR MILL

A 2nd Hockey Team In Toronto?

Globe and Mail Story: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20081020.shoalts21/BNStory/National/home

Would a 2nd team in the Toronto market work, I think it could. Ontario Province is bursting at the seams with hockey fans. With the Maple Leafs being in a bit of a downtime, this would be a great time for a 2nd team to capitalize on that. However, there is absolutely no way the NHL can expand again. 30 teams is enough and some of the current markets can barely support teams. If a 2nd team is going to be in Toronto, it needs to be a relocated team.

LAST NIGHT’S RECAP

Florida Panthers (3-3-0) over the Ottawa Senators (2-3-1) 3-1
-Rostislav Olesz and Nathan Horton scored goals 48 seconds apart early in the first period for the Panthers and they never looked back. Panthers backup goalie Craig Anderson made 41 saves (26 of them in the 3rd period) in his first start of the season to aid in the win. Florida has alternated losses and wins to start the year. Senators defenseman Filip Kuba helped set up the Senators lone goal (scored by Daniel Alfredsson) to extend his assists and points streaks to six games. Veteran Ottawa D-man Luke Richardson made his season debut and LW Christopher Schubert returned after he was left out of the lineup for two games. RW Shean Donovan was a healthy scratch and missed his first game of the season.

New Jersey Devils (5-1-0) over the Dallas Stars (2-4-1) 5-0

-Devils G Martin Brodeur made 21 saves for his 98th NHL shutout as New Jersey beat Dallas 5-0. Devils C John Madden scored two goals for the Devils, and in the process, chased former Michigan teammate and Stars G Marty Turco in the second period. Devils LW Pierre-Luc Leblond earned his first assist in his first NHL game. Dallas has now allowed 29 goals on the season, which averages out to more than 4 a game. Stars D Doug Janik missed his second straight game with facial cuts. Other than a lot of jawing between Stars C Sean Avery and the Devils and a big Brodeur save made on an Avery shot, nothing crazy happened between Avery and his former cross-river nemesis.

Detroit Red Wings (4-1-1) @ St. Louis Blues (4-2-0)
-The Red Wings extended their road winning streak to three games as Detroit took over first place in the Central from the Blues. Detroit winger Tomas Holmstrom scored in his 4th straight game, C Pavel Datsyuk had two assists, and LW Henrik Zetterberg added a goal and an assist. Blues C Keith Tkachuk had a goal and an assist in the loss and has scored in every game this season and eight straight dating to last season. Detroit backup goalie Ty Conklin got his first win of the season in his first start.

Edmonton Oilers (4-1-0) @ Chicago Blackhawks (3-2-2)
-The Oilers were handed their first loss of the season thanks to a 23-save shutout performance from Chicago G Nikolai Khabibulin. It was his 39th career shutout. Khabibulin has been solid in his last three starts, but new Chicago head coach Joel Quenneville isn't ready to make him the team's #1 goalie ahead of Cristobal Huet. "Right now, I'm in no hurry" said Quenneville. "Both guys are deserving of getting some playing time. It's a healthy position to be in as a team." Blackhawks LW Patrick Sharp and D Aaron Johnson each contributed a goal and an assist in the win. Oilers G Dwayne Roloson lost in his first start of the season. The Oilers, who entered the game with the NHL's second-best power-play (29.4%) went 0 for 5 with the man advantage. Edmonton C Sam Gagner and D Sheldon Souray returned after missing games because of leg injuries and D Steve Staios missed the game due to family reasons.

AROUND THE BOARDS

-The Ottawa Senators today assigned D Brian Lee to the Binghamton Senators (AHL). Lee played in all five games with the Senators this season, recording one assist and a +1 rating while averaging 13:03 minutes of ice-time per game.

-The Rangers placed winger Patrick Rissmiller on waivers Tuesday. He didn’t play well next to Chris Drury and Markus Naslund in Monday night’s loss to Dallas. He also looked out of place in his other game against Philly.

-St. Louis Blues forward D.J. King will undergo season-ending surgery for a dislocated shoulder. King injured his shoulder during the Blues' 6-1 win over Dallas in the season opener on Oct. 16.

-The Bridgeport Sound Tigers have signed forward Mark Parrish to an amateur P.T.O. (Professional Tryout) contract. Last season, Parrish played with the Minnesota Wild. In 66 games, he registered 30 points (16 goals and 14 assists).

-Brian Lawton was elevated to the position of executive vice president and general manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Lawton was hired as the team's vice president of hockey operations back on 6/25/08. He continues to oversee all aspects of the team's hockey operations department, including player procurement and development and minor league affiliate relations.

-Sarah Palin, Governor of Alaska and candidate for Vice President of the United States of America, will be the guest of the St. Louis Blues on Friday, Oct. 24, when she will drop a ceremonial pregame “first puck” prior to the Blues’ game vs. the Los Angeles Kings.

GAME OF THE NIGHT

Buffalo Sabres (5-0-1) @ Minnesota Wild (4-0-0) – 8PM

The hot Buffalo Sabres take their winning ways to the Western conference to face off against the undefeated Minnesota Wild tonight. Buffalo G Ryan Miller has allowed just six goals on 105 shots and has a1.45 GAA in his four wins this season. The Wild return home after three straight road victories. Like Miller, Minnesota G Nicklas Backstrom has started the season well, winning in every game and allowing just seven goals on 121 shots. The Wild have killed off all 15 power plays against them and have converted on six of their 20 power-play opportunities.

Other Action:
Toronto (1-2-3) @ Boston (2-1-3) - 7PM
Dallas (2-4-1) @ New York Islanders (2-3-0) – 7PM
Carolina (3-1-1) @ Pittsburgh (4-2-1) – 7:30PM
Calgary (2-3-1) @ Nashville (3-3-0) – 8PM
Edmonton (4-1-0) @ Colorado (3-3-0) – 9:30PM
Washington (3-2-1) @ Phoenix (2-3-0) – 10PM

^^All times Eastern

**My weekly power rankings, “Plus/Minus” comes out Monday Evenings.

FEEL FREE TO POST COMMENTS OR EMAIL ME DIRECTLY AT FROMTHESLOT@GMAIL.COM

PLUS/MINUS - 10/22/08

(For the first week of the Plus/Minus Column, this will just be a power ranking. Each edition of PLUS/MINUS after this will be based on the previous weeks rankings. PLUS/MINUS will now come out on Monday evenings to make room for Andrew Bogusch’s weekly column, starting on Wednesday next week)

PLUS/MINUS

Things are looking up for Saku Koivu and the Canadiens early in the season

1) Montreal Canadiens – After a season opening road SO loss to the Sabres, the Canadiens have been beating teams ever since. Montreal looks just as good as advertised, and if they add Gaborik, their centennial season could be one to remember. They are tied with the Rangers for most goals scored with 23.

2) San Jose Sharks – The Sharks won 4 in a row to open the season (including 3 in the division) and look like a team that’s been rejuvenated. They were outplayed badly by Anaheim in their lone loss, but the new additions to the Sharks seem to be gelling very quickly.

3) New York Rangers – Despite leading the league in points, the Rangers have had 3 tough losses recently (they have gone 1-2-1 after a 5-0 start). The Rangers PK has been excellent but their PP needs to improve quickly (sound familiar Rangers fans?). Their sloppy play could be partially responsible to fatigue, as they recently played 7 games in an 11 day stretch after opening the season overseas.

4) Edmonton Oilers – Some may think this is a little high for Edmonton considering the opponents they’ve beaten (Colorado, Anaheim and Calgary twice). The Oilers are tied with the Devils for fewest GAA so far and are getting the big plays when they need them. That’s the definition of a good hockey team. Their PP is a solid 29.4% and they can easily dominate this division.

5) St. Louis Blues – St. Louis has come out early and shown that they won’t be the basement dwellers that they were expected to be coming in to the season. While they are playing a bit over their heads right now, you can’t argue with 40.9% on the PP and a 90% PK.

6) Buffalo Sabres – The Sabres have impressed early in this short season. They opened up the year by beating the Northeast Division favorite Montreal Canadiens and have had impressive wins against both NY teams and Vancouver. They didn’t surrender a PP goal until Phil Kessel notched one last night. Thomas Vanek will continue to be the catalyst in their offense all year long.

7) Minnesota Wild - They may be undefeated, but have feasted on weaker teams from the Southeast Division (their only quality win was their home-opener against Boston). G Nicklas Backstrom has looked very impressive between the pipes so far. They are only one of two teams who have yet to yield a goal on the PP.

8) Detroit Red Wings – The defending champs have looked good, but not great so far. With the exception of the Carolina game, all of their games have been 1-goal games. It’s early in the year and the Red Wings will be firing on all cylinders soon. Look for them to rise here quickly.

9) New Jersey Devils – Other than a bad 4-1 loss to the Rangers, New Jersey is playing effective Devils hockey. With Brodeur continuing to play well between the pipes, the Devils can continue to wear teams down and wait for a mistake to capitalize. Along with Edmonton, they have allowed the fewest goals in the league at 9, but have only scored 10.

10) Washington Capitals – The Caps need to figure out their goaltending situation quickly. Alternating goalies doesn’t work in this league. They have an offense that can dominate, but they need to establish Jose Theodore between the pipes. Brent Johnson is a good backup, but they will sink or swim this season with the former Hart and Vezina winner in the crease. Beating the Penguins in Pittsburgh was a big statement for the Caps.

11) Pittsburgh Penguins – The Pens have had an interesting start to the season. Other than the Toronto victory, they have struggled to really beat teams the way they were last year. Credit this to early season rust and they should rise in the rankings quickly in the coming weeks.

12) Boston Bruins – While Boston has lost 4 games this season already (3 in OT), they have looked very good in each game. Once they get a stretch of home games they will break through and get on a roll (only 1 home game so far this year). Phil Kessel is playing the best we’ve seen him play in his short career so far and this is the Kessel we should all get used to.

13) Carolina Hurricanes – The Hurricanes have won the games they should have won this year. While LA is a weaker opponent, the Kings played great hockey in the Hurricanes OT loss at the Staples Center. They are in the midst of a tough six game road trip. If they come away with at least 7 points, that will have been a solid trip.

14) Colorado Avalanche – After losing 3 in a row to open the season, the Avs got just what the doctor ordered in a struggling Philadelphia team. They then won two impressive road games in Dallas and LA. It took G Andrew Raycroft in net to right the ship and with neither he nor Budaj being consistent options, this might be one of the rare cases where alternating hot goalies is the best approach.

15) Nashville Predators – The short season has been an up and down one for the Preds. This team will go as well or as bad as Dan Ellis does in net. Their PK, PP, and road play needs to improve.

16) Columbus Blue Jackets – It has been a seesaw year for the Preds. They opened up the season with a rare road win against Dallas, lost two, and then finally beat the Preds for the first time in 16 games. They followed that up with a road loss to Nashville but then rebounded with a solid win against Vancouver. Head Coach Ken Hitchcock will get the most he can out of this team, but it might not be enough in a tough West.

17) Vancouver Canucks – Their wins have been impressive, but the losses have been ghastly. Their PP is abysmal and needs to improve quickly. The Brightside is that they have taken care of business in the division so far and a road win in Detroit is good for the confidence.

18) Chicago Blackhawks – This is an interesting team right now because they are still getting used to a new coach after only 4 games in to the season. Cristobal Huet getting his first win in a Blackhawks uniform against Vancouver on Sunday is a big step in the right direction for this team.

19) Ottawa Senators – Ottawa has had some tough opponents to open the year and I predict things will turn for them quickly. Their upcoming schedule provides them with some teams they can take advantage of and get in to form. Being without Daniel Alfredsson at the beginning of the season didn’t help things either.

20) Atlanta Thrashers – The Thrashers have been a mediocre team to start the year. They opened up with an impressive win over the Caps and handed Buffalo their first loss of the year. On the other side, they’ve lost two tough division games in OT and ran in to a typical Martin Brodeur shutout. Kari Lehtonen looks like he will be decent for the Thrashers in net this year.

21) Dallas Stars – This might be a little high for a team that has only won two games, but I really feel as if Monday night’s win against the Rangers righted the ship for Dallas. They finally were able to play Dallas Stars hockey against a good team and their PP is too good to stay at 12% for long.

22) Florida Panthers – Simply put, Florida has beaten the teams they should have beaten so far and have lost to the teams they should have. Other than the Minnesota loss, they played tough in the Carolina and Montreal losses. They need to get their Goals For and Goals Against closer to being even.

23) Los Angeles Kings – After opening up the season with being on the wrong end of a home and home sweep at the hands of San Jose, LA rebounded with 2 wins in a row. As bad as everyone expects the Kings to be this year, they have played well in each game so far this season. They are the other team (Minnesota) to have not let in a PP goal yet this season.

24) Phoenix Coyotes – After opening the season 2-0, the Coyotes have dropped 3 in a row. The Coyotes didn’t play well in any of the 3 losses, but have a 4 game home-stand starting on Thursday to get back on their feet.

25) New York Islanders – Other than the browbeating they took from Buffalo on Columbus Day, the Isles have looked solid, win or lose, for a team with their roster and a new head coach. Consistency on a hockey team starts with goaltending, and now that Rick DiPietro is back, if he can stay healthy, the Isles will have something to build off of.

26) Calgary Flames – If things don’t improve on the Red Mile soon, Mike Keenan could be on the hot seat. Other than the season opening loss to Vancouver, all of their games have been decided by one goal. The Northwest isn’t too tough of a division where the Flames can’t go on a good stretch of games and be right back in the thick of things.

27) Anaheim Ducks – It has been a rough start for the Ducks so far and it is only magnified by the fact that they are 1-3 in the Pacific already. They rebounded with a solid win in Toronto last night, but will need to get their league-worst PP going if they want to rise in the standings.

28) Toronto Maple Leafs – After an impressive season-opening win in Hockeytown, it’s been all downhill for the Leafs. Other than the losses to Montreal and Pittsburgh, the other 3 have come in the shootout. Ron Wilson is too good of a coach and will have the Leafs playing respectable hockey soon.

29) Tampa Bay Lightning – I originally had the Lightning ranked dead last, but moved them up a spot after winning last night against Atlanta. Head Coach Barry Melrose is doing a lot of lineup shuffling right now to get the right combos, and should find them soon. Keep in mind that all of their losses were by 1 goal and that 3 of them came in either OT or the SO

30) Philadelphia Flyers – Another coach that could soon be on the hot seat is John Stevens. While none of their losses have been really bad, a team that was in the Eastern Conference Finals last year shouldn't be 0-3-2. Their upcoming schedule provides them with some chances to get some notches in the win column.

FTS - 10/22/08

TOP STORY

Sabres Survive Bruins

Thomas Vanek scores the shootout winner on Manny Fernandez
(Photo Credit David Duprey of the AP)

Buffalo Sabres (5-0-1) over Boston Bruins (2-1-3) - 3-2 in SO

AP Story: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jm7mYUbhi0hDEYpV2tY2WugHBYAgD93V8S1G0

-The Buffalo Sabres continued their hot streak to open the season thanks to Ryan Miller's superb performance in net. Despite Boston putting Buffalo in a 2-0 hole halfway through the 2nd period, Miller turned his game up a notch and made 30 saves (some of them spectacular) to aid in the win.

RW Drew Stafford would tie the game up for Buffalo about six minutes in to the 3rd period. After a Miller heart-stopping save on Marco Sturm with :27 seconds remaining in OT, the teams would go to a shootout. NHL Goals leader Thomas Vanek, who had a 5 game-goal streak snapped, scored the shootout winner after faking a shot and then delaying the real shot just long enough to make sure G Manny Fernandez was out of position.

Phil Kessel scored on the power play for Boston and netted his 6th goal of the year. Kessel has been very hot to start the year for the B's. This is the 3rd OT or SO loss for the Bruins this year and while they've gotten a point for each of those, the wins should start coming soon. Next up for Boston is Toronto in their 2nd home game of the year on Thursday.

The Sabres streak of not allowing a power-play goal ended at 26, tying Dallas in 2001 for fourth-longest to start a season since 1989, according to STATS (Minnesota and LA still have yet to allow a PP goal this season. Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff improved his career record to 402-302-121, tying Punch Imlach for 22nd on the NHL coaching wins list. Buffalo's next game is Thursday night against the undefeated Wild.

OTHER HEADLINES

(Photo Source: HC Avangard Press)

ESPN.com’s Scott Burnside gives an update on the investigation in to the tragic death of Alexei Cherepanov:
http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=3655654

One of the goals of the KHL (Kontinental Hockey League) in Russia is to get the league on par with the NHL. This is why KHL teams started luring some NHL players over there with bigger pay than NHL teams could offer some of these players. With all of that being said, the KHL needs to do everything they can to help this investigation go smoothly and get answers. You can’t be on par with the best hockey league in the world if you can’t make sure something as simple as an ambulance being at the arena until the end of the game is done properly.

RUMOR MILL

-An interesting twist on the Gaborik-Montreal rumors. Apparently he wants to play in Los Angeles for the Kings. While having Gabroik would make head coach Terry Murray and GM Dean Lombardi giddy, don’t count on this happening.

LAST NIGHT’S RECAP

Anaheim Ducks (2-5-0) over Toronto Maple Leafs (1-2-3) 3-2 in SO

- Jean-Sebastian Giguere looked like the Giguere of old, turning away 36 of 38 shots in a 3-2 shootout win for the Ducks in Toronto last night. The big story here is that head coach Ron Wilson pulled Vesa Toskala for the shootout to go to a cold Curtis Jospeh. Wilson said he was "playing the percentages" in the decision. A potential factor in to this decision was that Anaheim was held without a shot in the 3rd period. Francois Beauchemin and George Parros scored in regulation for Anaheim and Nik Antropov scored both goals for the Leafs (including one of them in the last minute to force OT).

Columbus Blue Jackets (2-3-0) over the Vancouver Canucks (3-4-0) - 4-2

- Vancouver continued their inconsistent ways last night and never lead in this game. Blue Jackets' RW Derek Dorsett scored his first NHL goal in the win and it turned out to be the game winner. LW Rick Nash had a goal and an assist and RW Jakub Voracek had two assists. Kyle Wellwood, who was called up to the Canucks before the game after being placed on wiavers last week, had a goal and an assist in the loss. Vancouver lost its third straight to finish their six-game road trip 2-4.

Tampa Bay Lightning (1-2-3) over Atlanta Thrashers (2-2-2) 3-2 in OT

-Barry Melrose can finally breathe a sign of relief after getting his first win as Lightning head coach. They had to go to OT to do it, but captain Vinny Lecavalier scored the first game winner of the year for Tampa Bay. Mark Recchi and Vinny Prospal also scored for Tampa Bay while Colby Armstrong and Todd White had the Atlanta goals. Tampa Bay LW Gary Roberts played in 1,200th NHL game. while RW St. Louis picked up his 300th career assist on Prospal's second-period goal.B oth goalies played well as TB goalie Mike Smith made 31 saves and Atlanta goalie Kari Lehtonen made 35 saves.

Calgary Flames (2-3-1) over the Washington Capitals (3-2-1) 2-1

- The story in this one was Washington's inability to score on a 9 minute power play (considering their offensive fire power, this is beyond shocking). Seven minutes into the first period, Washington defenseman Tyler Sloan leveled Calgary center Daymond Langkow with a clean bodycheck at the Caps' blue-line.Sloan, who was playing just his third NHL shift, was immediately tackled by Calgary's Rene Bourque, who then pummeled him while he was down on the ice. "It was the first time I've ever had a nine-minute power-play and we had only one chance in those nine minutes and it can't be like that," said Washington right-winger Alexander Ovechkin. Calgary's goals came from Jarome Iginla and Matthew Lombardi while Sergei Fedorov scored for Washington. The goal was # 473 of his career, tying him with Alexander Mogilny for most career NHL goals by a Russian-born player.

AROUND THE BOARDS

- Red Wings defenseman Andreas Lilja has successfully undergone an appendectomy. He could return to the lineup as soon as Friday following yesterday’s surgery. The team also says forward Darren Helm has been assigned to the Grand Rapids Griffins (Detroit’s AHL affiliate). Helm was called up to Detroit on Thursday and appeared in two games.

(Talk about a tough guy. He had his abdomen cut open on a Tuesday and is planning on playing on Friday. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, NHL players are some of the toughest athletes in the world.)

- The Columbus Blue Jackets have activated center Manny Malhotra off injured reserve. Malhotra has been fighting a lower-body injury that has kept him out of the lineup through the club's first five games. He was hurt in the Blue Jackets' final preseason game at Toronto.

-The Blue Jackets have also placed left wing Fredrik Modin on injured reserve Tuesday. Modin, who has three assists in five games, has been hampered by a hip injury that likely will cause him to miss at least three games.

- The St. Louis Blues’ claimed forward David Koci on waivers from the Tampa Bay Lightning. Koci appeared in one game with Tampa Bay this season, tallying four penalty minutes. The 6-6, 238-pound forward has played in 28 career NHL games, recording 160 penalty minutes.

-The Tampa Bay Lightning have claimed forward Matt Pettinger off of re-entry waivers from the Vancouver Canucks and have placed Jason Ward on waivers.

GAME OF THE NIGHT

Detroit Red Wings (3-1-1) @ St. Louis Blues (4-1-0) – 8:30PM
-This will be an early season battle for first place in the Central Division. The Blues have jumped out to a surprisingly good start and have a one point edge on Hockeytown in the standings. St. Louis is coming off an exciting 4-3 SO win over the Blackhawks on Saturday night. The Red Wings are coming off a seesaw 5-4 OT win over the Rangers on Saturday night. Ty Conklin will get the start for the Red Wings in net tonight.

Other Action:

Florida (2-3-0) @ Ottawa (2-2-1) - 7PM
Dallas (2-3-1) @ New Jersey (4-1-0) – 7PM
San Jose (5-1-0) @ Philadelphia (0-3-2) – 7PM
Edmonton (4-0-0) @ Chicago (2-2-2) – 9PM
^^All times Eastern

**My weekly power rankings, “Plus/Minus” comes out TONIGHT!

FEEL FREE TO POST COMMENTS OR EMAIL ME DIRECTLY AT FROMTHESLOT@GMAIL.COM

FTS - 10/21/08

TOP STORY

Stars Shine on Broadway

Sean Avery battles Chris Drury in front of the net in his MSG return
(Photo Credit Kathy Willens of the AP)

Dallas Stars (2-3-1) over New York Rangers (6-2-1) 2-1

AP Story - http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jr6zHAmmthMlLRUu1Mhguqi9lwsQD93UJ9LO0

-In Sean Avery’s return to Madison Square Garden, he took a bit of a beating and dished out some of his usual mix of verbal and physical punishment. He wouldn’t factor much on the score sheet, but Marty Turco outdueled Henrik Lundqivist in the Stars victory.

Turco gave up a PP goal to Markus Naslund within the first minute of the game, but settled down to make 28 saves. Lundqvist made 25 saves and is now 1-2 against his twin brother, Joel, in the Lundqvist Series. Brendan Morrow got Dallas’ first goal on the PP and Mike Modano scored the game-winner about halfway in to the 3rd period. Modano now has 6 points in 6 games for the Stars.

This was a good, solid road win for the Stars. I was very impressed with the play of their defensemen as a group (despite missing Sergei Zubov). This game was very reminiscent of the last time the Rangers and Stars met last November (another Stars victory).

Avery did his share of talking to the Rangers before the game. His main targets were backup goalie Stephen Valiquette, center Brandon Dubinsky, and Lundqvist. When the clock hit zero, he was very excited on the bench and wasn’t shy about showing it. When you think about it though, he probably hasn’t beaten his former teams much. Last year, in his fist match against the Kings, the Rangers played an ugly game against a bad Kings team. When he was with LA, they didn’t beat the Red Wings much, so this was a good night for him.

The Rangers are 1-2-1 since opening the season 5-0. Next up for them is the Blue Jackets in Columbus on Friday night. The Stars play the Devils at The Rock on Wednesday night.

RUMOR MILL

-Things are still quiet on the Marian Gaborik-Montreal front. It always seems like these big deals end up dragging out

-Look for the Flames and Capitals to make a deal in the coming days

LAST NIGHT’S RECAP

Pittsburgh Penguins (4-2-1) over the Boston Bruins (2-1-2) 2-1 SO

-The Bruins were the last team in the NHL to have their home opener and maybe they should have waited a little longer. Miroslav Satan scored the first goal for Pittsburgh and Phil Kessel would tie it up on the power play in the 2nd period. Evgeni Malkin scored in the 2nd extra round of the shootout to give the Pens the win. Bruins LW P.J. Axelsson missed his second straight due to muscle spasms. Sidney Crosby has a three-game point streak with a goal and six assists while Malkin has a goal and seven assists in his last three games. Pens backup goalie Dany Sabourin had a solid outing, turning away 35 shots.

Montreal Canadiens (5-0-1) over Florida Panthers (2-3-0) 3-1

-Florida played Montreal tough tonight, but the Canadiens are simply a better team. Captain and center Saku Koivu opened the scoring with his 600th career point on a feed from Andrei Markov. Panthers D Keith Ballard would knot it up seven minutes in to the 3rd, but Francis Bouillon gave the Habs the lead for good four minutes after that. Montreal has now won 5 in a row. Canadiens backup G Jaroslav Harak made 35 saves while Tomas Vokoun turned away 31 pucks on 33 shots.

Colorado Avalanche (3-3-0) over Los Angeles Kings (2-3-0) - 4-3

-Avs Winger Ryan Smyth had two goals and fellow winger Milan Hejduk extended his season-opening goal streak to six games in the Colorado victory. C Paul Stastny had two assists, giving the line a combined total of 11 goals and 24 points. Not bad for a line combo this early in the year. Peter Budaj made 26 saves for his first victory this season, after coming in to the game 0-3. Kings C Oscar Moller and D Drew Doughty each scored their first NHL goals. L.A. goalie Jason LaBarbera was replaced by Erik Ersberg after two periods (he had started every game). On a positive for LA, they are one of only three teams who have yet to yield a PP goal (Buffalo and Minnesota are the others).

AROUND THE BOARDS

-The NHL named it’s 3 Stars of the Week: http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=387632

-Devils C Bobby Holik is temporarily sidelined by a broken pinky finger he suffered Saturday in Washington. Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond was called up by the Devils from Lowell (AHL) under emergency conditions and took part in Devils practice Monday. He will likely see time on the left side of a line with Mike Rupp at center and David Clarkson at right wing.

-The Carolina Hurricanes have returned forward Zach Boychuk to his junior hockey team, the Lethbridge Hurricanes of the WHL. Boychuk, the Hurricanes’ first-round (14th overall) selection in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, made his NHL debut at LA on Friday, and played Sunday in Anaheim. “This has been a good experience for Zach,” said GM Jim Rutherford. “Despite the fact that he was recovering from hand surgery, his play progressed very well. Another year of junior hockey will be good for his development.”

GAME OF THE NIGHT

Boston Bruins (2-1-2) @ Buffalo Sabres (4-0-1)
-The Bruins are coming off their home-opening loss to the Penguins last night. The Sabres are coming off a shootout loss to the Thrashers on Saturday night. While it’s clear that Montreal is the top team in the Northeast, expect these two teams to be battling for 2nd best in the division all year long. Tonight is Round 1 of 6 for these bitter rivals.

Other Action:

Anaheim (1-5-0) @ Toronto (1-2-2) - 7PM
Vancouver (3-3-0) @ Columbus (2-3-0) – 7PM
Atlanta (2-2-1) @ Tampa Bay (0-2-3) – 7:30PM
Washington (3-1-1) @ Calgary (1-3-1) – 9:30PM

^^All times Eastern

**My weekly power rankings, “Plus/Minus” comes out every Wednesday evening.

FEEL FREE TO POST COMMENTS OR EMAIL ME DIRECTLY AT FROMTHESLOT@GMAIL.COM

FTS - 10/20/08

TOP STORY

BLACKHAWKS BLOW BY CANUCKS

(Photo Credit to Frank Polich of Reuters)

Chicago Blackhawks (2-2-2) defeat the Vancouver Canucks (3-3-0) 4-2

AP Story - http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iv3ftNM9FTFOZn0Hj5iDWQERSo5gD93TU9D00

-Patrick Sharp had two goals and an assist and the Chicago Blackhawks won for the first time under new coach Joel Quenneville. Patrick Kane added a goal and two assists, Brent Seabrook also scored and Cristobal Huet made 28 saves for his first victory with Chicago. D-Man Niklas Hjalmarsson missed his fifth game because of bruised ribs.

-The Canucks lost more than the game Sunday night. Injuries started piling up and caught up in the snowball were Sami Salo, Rick Rypien, Darcy Hordichuk and seemingly Pavol Demitra. That’s a lot worse than a 2-3 road trip. They did get back D Kevin Bieksa from a knee injury though.

RUMOR MILL

-Big shock, more about the Gaborik to Montreal rumors. The package that could be coming back is LW Christopher Higgins, G Jaroslav Harak and a #1. What's interesting here is that the Wild are already developing a young G that is at the same talent level as Halak (Josh Harding). Does that mean one of those guys will be on the move? It would also mean that Marc Denis would be on an NHL roster backing up Price on the Canadiens.

LAST NIGHT’S RECAP

Carolina Hurricanes (3-1-1) over the Anaheim Ducks (1-5-0) 3-1

-Rookie G Michael Leighton turned away 32 pucks in an impressive performance between the pipes. Carolina was outshot 22-10 in the final two periods, but timely goals from Ryan Bayda and Rob Brind'Amour proved to be the difference in the 2nd game of Carolina's road trip (Eric Staal added an empty-netter). Hurricanes coach Peter Laviolette, moved past the late Bob Johnson into second place among U.S.-born coaches with 235 career victories. Former Tampa Bay coach John Tortorella tops the list with 239. Forward Tuomo Ruutu was scratched from the Carolina lineup because a groin injury. Anaheim will begin a four-game road trip at Toronto on Tuesday night.

AROUND THE BOARDS

-The Columbus Blue Jackets sent goaltender Dan LaCosta to the club's American Hockey League affiliate in Syracuse. LaCosta stopped 15 of 17 shots in 35 minutes Saturday night at Nashville in relief of Fredrik Norrena.

-The St. Louis Blues have recalled goaltender Ben Bishop from the Blues’ AHL affiliate, the Peoria Rivermen. In addition, the Blues have assigned goaltender Marek Schwarz to Peoria.

GAME OF THE NIGHT

Pittsburgh Penguins (3-2-1) @ Boston Bruins (2-1-1) – 7PM

-The Penguins are coming off a 4-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs in a big night for Sidney Crosby (scroll down for more details). The Bruins are coming off a solid 4-2 win on the road at Ottawa Saturday night. These are both teams with high-octaine offenses. Both also have goalies that can be outright dominant at times, but can also let in some easy ones at times. Expect a shooting gallery.

Other Action:

Dallas Stars (1-3-1) @ New York Rangers (6-1-1) - 7PM (Sean Avery's return to MSG)

Florida Panthers (2-2-0) @ Montreal Canadiens (4-0-1) – 7:30PM

Colorado Avalanche (2-3-0) @ Los Angeles Kings (2-2-0) – 10:30PM
^^All Times Eastern

**My weekly power rankings, “Plus/Minus” comes out every Wednesday evening

FEEL FREE TO POST COMMENTS OR EMAIL ME DIRECTLY AT FROMTHESLOT@GMAIL.COM

FTS - 10/19/08

TOP STORY

Photo Credit to Keith Srakocic of The Associated Press

Pittsburgh Penguins (3-2-1) over Toronto Maple Leafs (1-2-2) 4-1
Reuters story: http://www.reuters.com/article/sportsNews/idUSTRE49I0E020081019

-Penguins Captain Sidney Crosby had his 100th career NHL goal and his 200th assist to surpass the 300-point plateau in leading the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 4-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Maybe this has something to do with the fact that Sid the Kid was playing on a line with Evgeni Malkin for the first time during an entire game this season. I know you want to have depth, but putting those two guys on the same line would be powerful.

Speaking of Malkin, Evgeni assisted on all four Penguins goals to give him 201 points in 166 NHL games.

Toronto's Jason Blake had an assist to give him 42 points in 43 career games against Pittsburgh. He has 10 more points against the Penguins than any other team. More on last night's games in the recap section below.

RUMOR MILL

-The Marian Gaborik to Montreal rumors are heating up again. A deal is close to being done but the potential of the Right Winger extending in Montreal is what’s holding up the deal.


LAST NIGHT’S RECAP

Montreal Canadians (4-0-1) over Phoenix Coyotes (2-3-0) 4-1
-A solid, solid win for Montreal tonight against a team they should beat. Alex Tanguay potted two for Les Habitents and Carey Price turned away 28 of 29 pucks. Saku moved ahead of Maurice Richard and took over sole possession of seventh place with his 422nd assist on Tanguay's second goal on the Canadians all time assists list. Habs D Andrei Kostitsyn left the game after a hard hit in to the boards from Kurt Sauer. No word on how long he’ll be out.

Detroit Red Wings (3-1-1) over New York Rangers (6-1-1) 4-3 in OT
-Talk about a seesaw battle. The Red Wings get two goals in the first 4 minutes and the Rangers answer back with a goal of their own 3 minutes after that. Detroit holds their lead in the 2nd period. The Rangers get the lead early in the 3rd period before Jiri Hudler ties it with less than 4 minutes to go. Marian Hossa scores his first Red Wings goal (and career #300) 23 seconds in to overtime. Red Wings C Henrik Zetterberg missed his second game due to a sore groin.

St. Louis Blues (4-1-0) over the Chicago Blackhawks(1-2-2) 4-3 in SO
-Joel Quenneville got a point in his first game as Blackhawk’s Head Coach, but didn’t get the win. Blue Rookie Center TJ Oshie scored the winner in the shootout. This is St. Louis’ third straight win. Blues D Eric Brewer played in his 600th NHL game. Chicago RW Patrick Kane had 2 goals and an assist in the loss.

Calgary Flames (1-3-1) @ Edmonton Oilers (4-0-0)
-The Edmonton Oilers win the 2nd installment and sweep the Battle of Alberta 3-2. Calgary jumped out to a 2-0 lead after the first period and the Oilers answered back with 3 goals in the 2nd period. The Oilers remain unbeaten to start the season while the Flames continue to struggle out of the gate. Calgary has had a lead in 4 of its 5 games.

Minnesota Wild (4-0-0) over the Tampa Bay Lightning (0-2-3) 1-0 (SO)
-Whatever of the mullet is left has got to be ripped out of poor Barry Melrose’s head right now. All 5 of his losses have been by a goal. Tonight’s came by the hands of Wild RW Antti Miettinen in the shootout. Wild G Nicklas Backstrom made 32 saves in the shutout bid. The Wild are 4-0 for the third consecutive season. They won their first five games last season and their first six in 2006

Colorado Avalanche (2-3-0) over the Dallas Stars (1-3-1) 5-4
-Milan Hejduk scores two goals for the Avs in their first road win of the season. Darcy Tucker also got his first goal as a member of the Avalanche. Centers Paul Stastny and Joe Sakic both have at least a point in all 5 of Colorado’s games this year. Stars rookie LW Fabian Brunnstrom scored his 4th goal of the season.

San Jose Sharks (5-1-0) over the Philadelphia Flyers (0-3-2) 5-4 in OT
-Another seesaw battle in the NHL on Saturday night ended with Dan Boyle scoring the game winning goal on a feed from Joe Thornton 1:25 in to OT. San Jose outshot Philly 44-17 in this game. Flyers @ Daniel Briere scored 2 goals for the Flyers in the loss. Philadelphia is winless through five games for the first time since 1999. These clubs will finish a home and home on Tuesday in Cheesesteaktown.

New Jersey Devils (4-1-0) over Washington Capitals (3-1-) 4-3 (SO)
-Just a great game from beginning to end. The Devils did something they rarely do, and that’s come from behind to force the shootout and then get the win. Zach Parise scored the SO winner. Hall of Famer Ray Bourque was in attendance to watch the season debut of his son, Capitals LW Chris Bourque. After the game, the younger Bourque was reassigned to AHL Hershey.

Boston Bruins (2-1-1) over Ottawa Senators (2-2-1) 4-2
-Phil Kessel had two second-period goals and added an assist for Boston in the road victory. Kessel hasn't missed a game since 1/9/07, when he returned from testicular cancer surgery (129 games). Senators forward Chris Kelly reached 100 career points with a first-period assist. Boston has now won 5 of the past 6 meetings agains the Sens and have taken 5 of the past 7 match-up's in Ottawa.

Atlanta Thrashers (2-2-1) over the Buffalo Sabres (4-0-1) 3-2 (SO)
-The Thrashers jumped out to an early 2-0 lead and survived long enough to win in the shootout. Wingers Ilya Kovalchuk and Slava Kozlov scored the two SO goals for Atlanta. Buffalo has lost its first game of the year, but the brightside is that they remained perfect on the PK, going to 24 of 24. Atlanta has now gone 21 straight PPs without a goal.

Nashville Predators (3-3-0) over the Columbus Blue Jackets (2-3-0) 6-3
-The Blue Jackets started this home and home by snapping an ugly 16 game winless streak against the Preds. They reverted back to old habits tonight as Nashville scored 3 first period goals. After being held pointless in seven games against Nashville last season, LW Rick Nash has three goals in the two games this season. Predators Captain Jason Arnott misses his 3rd straight game because of a broken ring finger in his right hand.

AROUND THE BOARDS

-A day after being put on waivers by the Canucks, centre Kyle Wellwood was re-assigned Saturday to Vancouver's AHL affiliate, the Manitoba Moose

-The Philadelphia Flyers have changed the start time for their Oct. 25 game against New Jersey to 4 p.m. to avoid a conflict with Game 3 of the World Series. The Philadelphia Phillies will play their first World Series home game in 15 years across the street at Citizens Bank Park that night. The original start time was 7PM.


GAME OF THE NIGHT

Vancouver Canucks @ Chicago Blackhawks - 7PM
-This will be the home coaching debut of Joel Quenneville. The Canucks are coming off a tough 5-3 road loss at the hands of the Sabres on Friday night. The Blackhawks are coming off a tough loss themselves, but this one at the hands of the Blues in St. Louis last night. These two teams could be battling for one of the final Western playoff spots in the stretch run.

Other Action:
Carolina @ Anaheim - 8PM
^^All Times Are Eastern

**My weekly power rankings, “Plus/Minus” comes out every Wednesday evening

FEEL FREE TO POST COMMENTS OR EMAIL ME DIRECTLY AT FROMTHESLOT@GMAIL.COM