FTS 11/16/08

TOP STORY

BRUINS PICK-POCKETTED @ MSG

(Photo Credit: NY Daily News)

Chris Drury beats Tim Thomas for the lone SO goal to complete the come-from-behind win

NY Rangers (13-5-2) over the Boston Bruins (10-3-4) 3-2 (SO)

In a battle for surpremacy in the Eastern Conference, the Rangers woke up just in time to retain their throne for now. The Bruins scored 2nd period goals from defensemen Zdeno Chara and Dennis Wideman. The Rangers would look flat for most of the night until about 6 minutes to go when Nigel Dawes would get the Blueshirts on the board. The Garden Faithful would have to sweat it out until 54 seconds remaining when Markus Naslund would tie things up to force OT.

The Rangers would get some pressure on early in the OT but both teams would sit back cautiously the rest of the way. For the 4th time in the last 5 meetings, the Rangers and Bruins were going to meet in the shootout. Both Henrik Lundqvist and Tim Thomas would blank the first three shooters they faced. Chris Drury beat Thomas through the 5-hole in the 4th round of the shootout. Patrice Bergeron would try to answer right back and would come close, but the puck would slide through Lundqvist's pads and catch the post instead of crossing the goal-line.

These teams match-up extremly well against one another and this would be a fantastic playoff series (it would also result in many fans going in to cardiac arrest). While nobody expected Boston to be THIS good, they had playoff expectations coming in to the season. As long as they can get consistent goaltending from Tim Thomas and Manny Fernandez, they will be in the running for the Northeast Divison title all year long. Montreal isn't hammering teams the way they were expected to (what San Jose is doing is what Montreal SHOULD be doing) and Buffalo is beginning to ccome back down to earth.

As for the Rangers, as well as they are playing, they need to step it up a notch. The Rangers have a tendance to sleepwalk through most of the game and then turn it on just in time to pull out the win. Granted, Boston is a very good team and you're probably not going to mop the floor with a team like that, but the Rangers have been doing that to lesser opponents, too. They need to stop playing up or down to their opponent's level and play for 3 periods. The Blueshirts look like they are close to busting out a 5 game winning streak, but need to do it soon with their schedule favoring them for the rest of November.

For more on this, Link: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iYnZep5rKk0sCPMlvVZAkOEsjojgD94FP3K02

OTHER HEADLINES

-The Dallas Stars and Pittsburgh Penguins have swapped veteran D, with the Stars dealing Philippe Boucher to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for Darryl Sydor. In the final year of a contract that pays him $2.5-million this season, Boucher is a 35-year-old who has three points and a minus-4 rating in 16 games with the Stars this season. He has 91 goals and 294 points in 723 career games. Sydor, 36, has seen limited duty with the Penguins this year, tallying one goal and one assist with a plus-5 rating, in eight games. Like Boucher, Sydor is in the final year of his contract, which pays $2.5-million. Sydor had a no-trade clause that he needed to waive in order for the deal to go through. Sydor has 486 points career points in 1179 games, including stints with the Stars from 1996 to 2003 as well as the 2006-2007 season.

-Barry Melrose comments about his firing:

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=392625

RUMOR MILL

-Tomorrow's rumor mill will be chockful of interesting ones

LAST NIGHT'S RECAP

Philadelphia Flyers (6-6-4) over the Montreal Canadiens (9-4-2) 2-1
-Scottie Upshall and Jeff Carter scored second-period goals to lead the Flyers over the Canadiens in Montreal to end a seven-game losing streak against the Canadiens in the regular season.

New Jersey Devils (8-7-2) over the Washington Capitals (10-4-3) 6-5 (SO)
-Zach Parise scored the only goal in the shootout, Scott Clemmensen stopped all three Washington shooters and the Devils beat the visiting Capitals to end a four-game losing streak.

New York Islanders (6-9-2) over the Ottawa Senators (6-9-2) 3-2

-Jon Sim had a goal and an assist, Joey MacDonald stopped 38 shots as the Islanders sweep the home and home from Ottawa.

Vancouver Canucks (10-6-1) over the Toronto Maple Leafs (7-7-4) 4-2
-Pavol Demitra had three assists after missing 10 games because of broken rib cartilage and Roberto Luongo made 28 saves in the Canucks' victory over the Maple Leafs.

Pittsburgh Penguins (11-4-2) over the Buffalo Sabres (9-5-3) 5-2
-Jordan Staal had two goals, including the tiebreaker late in the third period, and the host Penguins scored four third-period goals to rally past the Sabres for their sixth victory in a row.

Minnesota Wild (10-4-1) over the Columbus Blue Jackets (8-7-3) 3-2 (SO)
-Marek Zidlicky and Antti Miettinen scored in a shootout for host Minnesota. Zidlicky slid his shot under Steve Mason’s glove, and Miettinen sent the puck between his legs to seal the victory.

Dallas Stars (6-8-3) over the Phoenix Coyotes (8-8-0) 3-2

-Loui Eriksson scored twice as visiting Dallas ended a three-game losing streak and did it against a division team.

Colorado Avalanche (8-8-0) over Edmonton Oilers (8-7-2) 3-2 (SO)

-Darcy Tucker had a big night for the Avs, scoring the tying goal in the 3rd period and then the winning goal in the shootout.

Nashville Predators (9-7-1) over the Los Angeles Kings (7-7-2) 3-1

-Jason Arnott, JP Dumont and Shea Weber each score for Nasvhille as they complete the LA-area sweep over the weekend.

AROUND THE BOARDS

-Bruins D Andrew Ference, who hobbled off the ice after being hit by a slapshot from Andrei Markov during the second period on Thursday night will miss 6-8 weeks. He is officially out of the lineup due to a broken tibia. Ference will have surgery to place a pin in his leg on Monday and begin the healing process.

-Anaheim Ducks D Francois Beauchemin will miss about six months after tearing the ACL in his left knee. He will be placed on long-term IR. The Ducks recalled forward Bobby Ryan and defenseman Brett Festerling from Iowa (AHL). Beauchemin had four goals and one assist in 18 games this season. He was tied for the second-most playing time on the team.

GAME OF THE NIGHT

San Jose Sharks (14-3-1) @ Chicago Blackhawks (7-3-5) - 7PM

After the Sharks had a couple of tight games, they rebounded with a big 6-1 win over the Flames on Thursday night. The Blackhawks are coming off a tough shootout loss to the Blues. For San Jose, this gives them a chance to play against a team that has a good balance of youth and speed. For Chicago, it's a great test to see where they are as a team as we near the 1/4 point of the season.

Other Action:
Tampa Bay (5-7-4) @ Carolina (8-7-2) - 3PM
Montreal (9-4-2) @ St. Louis (6-8-1) - 6PM
Atlanta (7-7-2) @ Philadelphia (6-6-4) - 7PM
Los Angeles (7-7-2) @ Anaheim (9-7-2) - 8PM

^ALL TIMES EASTERN


*My weekly power rankings, "PLUS/MINUS", comes out on Monday evenings

~Dropping the Gloves with Andrew Bogusch comes out Wednesday evenings

FEEL FREE TO COMMENT OR EMAIL ANYTIME HERE OR AT FROMTHESLOT@GMAIL.COM

FTS 11/15/08

TOP STORY

BLUNDER AND LIGHTNING

(Photo Credit: AP)

Barry Melrose is fired after only 16 games

This firing has me scratching my head. Granted, the Lightning have only registered 14 out of a possible 32 points, but we're not talking about a coach who has had some opportunities lately and just can't get it going. If this was a retread coach, I'd understand the move. Tampa Bay has a lot of talent on their team and can definitely contend for a playoff spot down the stretch. However, when Melrose was hired, the Lightning knew they were getting a guy who hadn't coached in over a decade.

Just like any other sport, the game changes a lot over that course of time. Yes, Melrose was an NHL analyst throughout that time and followed the game closely. But following and coaching are two completely different levels on involvement. The Lightning should have expected some growing pains. If you want to hire a guy that hasn't done the job in while, you have to wait a little bit longer to drop the hammer than you would normally wait. 5-7-4 isn't a great record, but it isn't terrible for a guy in Melrose's situation. In the Southeast Division, 2nd place is still wide open (now that Ovechkin is beginning to warm up, expect the Caps to give themselves some distance for the division lead). How much better will Rick Tocchet do than Barry anyways? I wouldn't bet on him doing too much better (sorry but I had to get the gambling reference in on Tocchet).

For more on this, AP Link: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hxXLsA1OblFMeRttOahZusIh9VFA

OTHER HEADLINES

-Initial findings from a Russian police investigation indicated the quality of medical treatment did not cause the death of New York Rangers prospect and KHL player Alexei Cherepanov. Cherepanov, the 17th overall pick in the 2007 entry draft, collapsed on the bench during the third period of a KHL game Oct. 13 at the Sports Palace in Chekov outside Moscow. The report said that doctors and medical personnel "acted professionally and did everything they could. The absence of special medical equipment in the arena was not the cause of death of this hockey player," Vladimir Shalaev, head of hockey operations for the KHL, said in a news release. Russian officials, however, refused to reveal exactly what caused Cherepanov's death, but promised that information would be forthcoming. It is unknown whether criminal charges still might be filed.

RUMOR MILL

-Nothing new to report today

LAST NIGHT'S RECAP

Washington Capitals (10-4-2) over the New Jersey Devils (7-7-2) 3-1

-The Devils skid since Brodeur's injury continued tonight thanks to goals from Brooks Laich, Tomas Fleischmann, and Alexander Ovechkin (AO has scored in three straight games). New Jersey is now 1-5-0 since Brodeur hurt his elbow. G Jose Theodore made 32 saves in his first start in nearly two weeks to give the Caps the win. Washington's Alexander Semin, the NHL scoring leader entering the game with 27 points, left the game late in the 2nd period with an undisclosed injury. The team said his status is day-to-day. Washington coach Bruce Boudreau said after the game He'll be fine tomorrow, as far as I know." Patrick Elias scored the lone Devils goal and the back end of this home and home series wraps up tonight at the Prudential Center.

Columbus Blue Jackets (8-7-2) over the Buffalo Sabres (9-4-3) 6-1

-The Blue Jackets scored a season-high six goals and Pascal Leclaire made 37 saves in his first game back after missing seven with an ankle injury. RJ Umberger had two goals while Michael Peca, Manny Malholtra, Derick Brassard and Rick Nash chipped in with a goal a piece. Jason Pominville scored a power-play goal for Buffalo, which had its second regulation loss in the past three games.

Detroit Red Wings (11-2-3) over the Florida Panthers (6-9-2) 3-2

-Marian Hossa scored two goals and Johan Franzen's PP goal turned out to be the game winner (his 4th GW of the season) early in the 3rd period. D Niklas Kronwall chipped in with two assists for Detroit while Richard Zednik and Stephen Weiss scored the two Florida goals. Ty Conklin stopped 25 shots to win a matchup of backup goalies against Craig Anderson. Conklin improved to 6-0 lifetime in seven career games against the Panthers.Florida has yet to win three in a row this season and the Red Wings have not lost in regulation in the month of November.

Atlanta Thrashers (7-7-2) over the Carolina Hurricanes (8-7-2) 3-2
-Atlanta tied a franchise record with it's 5th straight win tonight while handing Carolina it's 3rd straight loss. Marty Reasoner, Eric Perrin (1st of the season) and Slava Kozlov (PPG) scored for the Thrashers while Tuomo Ruttu and Rod Brind'Amour (both PPGs) notched the two Carolina goals. Rod Brind'Amour's goal pushed him into a tie with Mike Bossy and Joe Nieuwendyk for 50th on the all-time scoring list with 1,126 points. Johan Hedberg made 27 saves for Atlanta in the win. The Thrashers debuted their new alternate jerseys, which are red rather than blue. They will be worn for 13 more home games, including all meetings with Southeast Division teams.

St. Louis Blues (6-8-1) over the Chicago Blackhawks (7-3-5) 4-3

-It certainly wasn't a good road trip for the Blues, but they ended it on a high note with the road win at the United Center. Andy McDonald had the first goal (shorthanded) and the game winner 2:15 in to OT (on the PP) while David Perron and Cam Paddock scored the other two goals for St. Louis. Dustin Byfuglien, Dave Bolland (2 goals, one shorthanded) scored the Blackhawks goals. The Blackhawks have not lost in regulation in six games (4-0-2) and remained unbeaten in regulation at home this season (6-0-4). The Blues' Manny Legace stopped 32 shots. Chicago's Khabibulin blocked 26. St. Louis LW Paul Kariya missed his fourth game with an injured foot. Blues RW Dan Hinote sat out his first with a lower-body injury. Chicago D Brent Sopel returned after missing two games with an undisclosed injury. The crowd of 22,260 was Chicago's tenth sellout in 10 home games (it's great to see hockey becoming popular again in Chicago).

Nashville Predators (8-7-1) over the Anaheim Ducks (9-7-2) 4-3

-This was an evenly played game from the beginning until 2:17 in to the OT when D Dan Hamhuis gave the Nashville franchise their 4th win in 19 attempts in Anaheim. Brendan Morrison would score first for Anaheim, but Ryan Jones (PPG) and JP Dumont would answer back. Chris Kunitz (PPG) would tie things at 2 at the end of the 1st period. No one would score in the 2nd, but Joel Ward and Ryan Getzlaf (both PPGs) would exchange goals to force overtime. Dan Ellis, coming off a franchise-record 54-save performance in Nashville's 4-3 overtime win at San Jose on Tuesday night, stopped 32 Anaheim shots. Teemu Selanne had three assists in his 600th game with Anaheim. Brad May returned to the Anaheim lineup after missing six games with a sprained right knee. Nashville RW Martin Erat missed his third straight game because of an upper body injury. This was the Ducks first game after the firing of GM Brian Burke.

AROUND THE BOARDS

-What was said to be "lower body soreness" after practice Thursday morning is now much more than that. Kevin Bieksa will miss 2-4 weeks with a fracture of the metatarsal bone in his left foot. Bieksa was spotted in a walking boot at last night's Sports Celebrities Festival after taking a day off practice to get x-rays.He's been playing with pain in his foot since November 4, after blocking a shot in the game against Nashville.

-New York Islanders D Thomas Pock has been suspended for five games, without pay, as a result of an elbowing incident that took place during Thursday night's game against the Ottawa Senators. Pock was assessed a major penalty for elbowing and game misconduct for hitting Ottawa forward Ryan Shannon at 15:55 of the third period. He will be eligible to return Nov. 26 against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

-The Edmonton Oilers have placed D Ladislav Smid on the IR because of a concussion. Smid was hurt during a November 5 game against Columbus and has missed the last four games. He has two assists in eight games this season. Liam Reddox (AHL-Springfield) will fill the roster spot.

GAME OF THE NIGHT

Boston Bruins (10-3-3) @ New York Rangers (12-5-2) - 7PM

The Bruins will be going for the 6th win in a row in their 3rd game in four days. The B's are coming off a huge 6-1 home win over the Canadiens on Thursday night. Boston's penalty-killing unit is 20-for-21 during the win streak. On the other bench, the Rangers are coming off a 5-2 pounding of the Devils on Wednesday night. It's uncertain Saturday whether the Rangers will have center Scott Gomez, who is tied for third on the team with 13 points but missed Wednesday's game due to a leg injury. An MRI exam revealed no broken bones. These two like to keep it close as four of the last five meetings have gone to a shootout.

Other Action:

Philadelphia (5-6-4) @ Montreal (9-3-2) - 7PM

Washington (10-4-2) @ New Jersey (7-7-2) - 7PM
Ottawa (6-8-2) @ NY Islanders (5-9-2) - 7PM

Toronto (7-6-4) @ Vancouver (9-6-1) - 7PM

Buffalo (9-4-3) @ Pittsburgh (10-4-2) - 1:30PM

Columbus (8-7-2) @ Minnesota (9-4-1) - 8PM

Dallas (5-8-3) @ Phoenix (8-7-0) - 9PM
Colorado (7-8-0) @ Edmonton (8-7-1) - 10PM
Nashville (8-7-1) @ Los Angeles (7-6-2) - 10:30PM

^ALL TIMES EASTERN

*My weekly power rankings, "PLUS/MINUS", comes out on Monday evenings

~Dropping the Gloves with Andrew Bogusch comes out Wednesday evenings

FEEL FREE TO COMMENT OR EMAIL ANYTIME HERE OR AT FROMTHESLOT@GMAIL.COM

MY SUNDAY EDITION OF THIS BLOG WILL BE SHORT. THE FULL VERSION WILL RETURN ON MONDAY AS USUAL

FTS - 11/14/08

TOP STORY

BEANTOWN BEATDOWN

(Photo Credit: Stuart Cahill - The Boston Globe )

Andrew Ference & PJ Axelsson take down Saku Koivu and the Canadiens

NHL/AP Link: http://www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2008020228

Boston Bruins (10-3-3) over the Montreal Canadiens (9-3-2) 6-1

Bruins-Canadiens is one of the top rivalries in the NHL. It's the 3rd biggest rivalry in Boston behind Yankees-Red Sox and Jets-Patriots. For a long time, just like Yankees-Red Sox, this was a one-sided rivalry in favor of the non-Boston team. Since 2004, the tide has turned in favor of the Red Sox. Maybe last night was the beginning of the tide turning in favor of the B's.

Boston snapped a 12 game regular-season losing streak against Montreal, and did it in a big way. Shawne Thornton, Stephane Yelle, and Marco Sturm (PPG) would give the Bruins a 3-0 lead after the 1st period. Marco Sturm would add another PPG in the 2nd period before the Canadiens would finally crack the scoreboard on a Saku Koivu goal. Milan Lucic and Stephane Yelle (2nd of the game) would add goals to complete the route. Backup G Manny Fernandez made 27 saves and is 4-0-1 in his last five starts. Carey Price would make 25 saves and took his first career loss against Montreal.

The Bruins have scored 21 goals in their last five games and improved to 21-8-3 in November since the 2006-07 season. The Bruins have allowed one power-play goal in the last 21 chances.Boston is now three points behind the Rangers for first place in the Eastern Conference and have outscored opponents 28-13 over the last nine. Coincidentally, the Bruins next game is Saturday night when they travel to MSG to take on the Rangers. Boston needed a win like this on a night where their Patriots would lose to the Jets (sorry, as a Jets fan I had to get that in). The Canadiens next game is Saturday when they host the Philadelphia Flyers.

OTHER HEADLINES

-Flyers C Daniel Briere will be out of action for the next five-to-seven days due to a slight left groin strain. Briere, who has five goals and four assists for nine points in eight games so far this season, The new injury is not related to his last injury, which had him sidelined for the previous six games before Tuesday at the Islanders."It's not related. It's another injury, and that's what's so frustrating," he said. "It's not the same area." "It's unfortunate," added John Stevens. "I thought he came back and played well and obviously he's a big part of our team."

RUMOR MILL

-We are supposedly "days away" from a Brendan Shanahan decision, so stay tuned for that.

LAST NIGHT'S RECAP

New York Islanders (5-9-2) over the Ottawa Senators (6-8-2) 3-1
-The Islanders snapped a three game losing streak behind a solid 29 save performance from G Joey MacDonald. D Filip Kuba scored his first goal of the year, but that would be the only offense Ottawa would generate all night. Josh Bailey notched his first NHL point setting up a Kyle Okposo goal (Isles fans should dream about those two for the future) while Trent Hunter (PPG) & Bill Guerin scored the other Islanders goals. G Alex Auld lost back-to-back starts for only the second time this season.

Pittsburgh Penguins (10-4-2) over the Philadelphia Flyers (5-6-4) 5-4 (SO)
-If you like see-saw, volatile hockey games, become a Penguins fan. After jumping out to a 3-0 lead (Matt Cookie, Evgeni Malkin, Sidney Crosby-PP), Philly would rally back with 4 straight goals in the 2nd period (Jeff Carter, Simon Gagne-B2B SH goals, Joffrey Lupul-PP). Pens G Marc-Andre Fleury was pulled after that four goal stretch. Sidney Crosby would net his 2nd PP goal of the game with 2:33 remaining in the 3rd period to force OT. In the shootout, Alex Goligoski would score the lone goal to give the Pens the win against their cross-state rivals. Eight of the Penguins' first 16 games have gone into overtime or a shootout; they're 6-0-2 in those games.

Detroit Red Wings (10-2-3) over the Tampa Bay Lightning (5-7-4) 4-3
-The Lightning are going to be that team that plays opponents close and tight, but hardly come away with the win. Mark Recchi and Jussi Jokinen (PPG) would give Tampa a two goal lead at the end of the 1st period, but that would be the last time they led. The Red Wings would score four straight goals (Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg-PP, Mikael Samuelsson-PP, Johan Franzen) to rally and win the first of their back-to-back Florida games. Matt Pettinger scored the other goal for the Lightning. Chris Osgood earned his 370th career win passing Tom Barasso for 14th on the all-time list. Osgood also improves to 17-0 in his career against the Lightning (longest active win streak by a goaltender vs. one team). Henrik Zetterberg has a goal in 10 of his last 11 games and Marian Hossa has scored a point in 12 of his last 13 games (two assists last night).

Minnesota Wild (9-4-1) over the Phoenix Coyotes (8-7-0) 4-0

-Talk about an adjustment making a difference. The Wild coaches made a slight positioning adjustment with their defenseman on the power play, making them go wider to open things up for more shots. Well, four power play goals (Marek Zidlicky-2, Eric Belanger, Andrew Brunette) says the move worked. They went for 4 for 7 on the PP after going on a 1 for 21 stretch previously. Nicklas Backstrom made 24 saves for his 2nd shutout of the season. The Wild have allowed only 28 goals in 14 games this season. Phoenix is the only team in the NHL that has yet to play an overtime game this season.

Los Angeles Kings (7-6-2) over the Dallas Stars (5-8-3) 3-2
-Michal Handzus and Kyle Quincey scored power-play goals and Erik Ersberg made 24 saves to help the Kings extend their winning streak to four games with a 3-2 victory last night. The Kings' four-game win streak is their longest winning streak since they won four in a row in October of 2007. Jarrett Stoll scored the other Kings goal in his 300th NHL game to complete the sweep of the home and home. Brad Richards and Mike Ribeiro scored the Dallas goals in the power play. The Stars still have yet to win two games in a row.

Toronto Maple Leafs (7-6-4) over the Edmonton Oilers (8-7-1) 5-2
-The Oilers played the Leafs well through the first period and a half, keeping the game tied at 2. The 2nd half of the game was a different story. Sam Gagner would score a PP goal to open up the scoring. Tomas Kaberle and Nikolai Kulemin scored PP goals to give Toronto the lead. Ethan Moreau would tie things up for Edmonton, but Nik Antropov would give the Leafs the lead for good at the end of the 2nd period. Ian White and Mikhail Grabovski (PPG) would cushion Toronto's lead in the 3rd period. Edmonton Oilers HC Craig MacTavis was not happy with his team after the game. "I give credit because they are a hard-working group that is structured and we lack that structure in our game right now," MacTavish said. "And that's why we got pounded."

San Jose Sharks (14-3-1) over the Calgary Flames (9-8-1) 6-1
-There were hockey fans and analysts around the league that said that Calgary is one of the few teams that could match-up well against the Sharks. San Jose responded to those comments with a 4-goal 1st period to beat a struggling Calgary team. Milan Michalek and Joe Pavelski (2PPG) scored two goals apiece, and the Sharks' defense corps set a franchise record with nine assists (3 by Dan Boyle) in the win. Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton chipped in with a PP goal each as well. Brian Boucher made 23 saves in his fourth straight start in place of injured Evgeni Nabokov, but Michael Cammalleri scored a power-play goal with 9:47 left to break up his shutout bid. Curtis McElhinney stopped 24 shots in relief of Kiprusoff during the final two periods for the Flames, who lost for the fifth time in seven games since a six-game winning streak.

AROUND THE BOARDS

-The Chicago Blackhawks announced today that Hall of Famer Denis Savard will serve as a team ambassador, joining legends Tony Esposito, Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita in representing the organization at events at the United Center and throughout the Chicagoland area.

-Flames D Jim Vandermeer will be out of the lineup for at least six weeks with a broken ankle.
Playing alongside Dion Phaneuf, he averaged over 17 minutes per game. "It's definitely a huge loss for our team and our back end," Phaneuf told the Calgary Herald. "He plays a lot of big minutes and he's very consistent and he brings a lot every night. He moves the puck well and he's tough. For now, it appears Adam Pardy will draw into the lineup and take up some of Vandermeer's minutes.

-The Minnesota Wild activated right winger Owen Nolan from the IR. Nolan missed eight of the last 11 games with a leg injury. He has one goal and three assists in five games this season. To make room for Nolan, the Wild sent center Krys Kolanos to their AHL affiliate in Houston. Kolanos scored one goal in two games while filling in for Nolan.

-The Flyers have waived D Lasse Kukkonen

-The Washington Capitals signed first-round draft pick John Carlson to a three-year entry-level contract. The 18-year-old Carlson was the 27th overall selection in the 2008 NHL entry draft. He is in his first season with the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League.

-The St. Louis Blues returned promising rookie defenseman Alex Pietrangelo to his junior team.
The 18-year-old Pietrangelo was the fourth overall pick in the draft. He played eight games with St. Louis, recording an assist and an even plus-minus rating. The Blues could use Pietrangelo in nine games before his season counted as a full year. Instead, he'll be with the Niagara Ice Dogs of the Ontario Hockey League.

-The Canucks have unveiled their new 3rd jersey:

http://canucks.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=392222

GAME OF THE NIGHT

Nashville Predators (7-7-1) @ Anaheim Ducks (9-7-1) - 10PM
Anaheim is 15-1-2 all-time at home against Nashville, with the regulation loss coming in January 2001. Since then, the Ducks have gone 11-0-2 while outscoring the Predators 44-22. The Ducks hope that kind of production will continue. After scoring 35 goals in an 8-0-1 run from Oct. 21-Nov. 5, Anaheim has totaled only three goals in losses to Dallas and Florida. After losing the first three games on their six-game road trip, Nashville got a superb effort on Tuesday from Dan Ellis, who made 54 saves in a 4-3 overtime win against Pacific Division-leading San Jose. J.P. Dumont leads the Predators with 15 assists and 17 points, but hasn't scored in seven games. He has four goals in his last six visits to Anaheim. This will be the first game for the Ducks with Bob Murray as GM.

Other Action:
New Jersey (7-6-2) @ Washington (9-4-2) - 7PM
Columbus (7-7-2) @ Buffalo (9-3-3) - 7PM

Detroit (10-2-3) @ Florida (6-8-1) - 7:30PM
Carolina (8-6-2) @ Atlanta (6-7-2) - 7:30PM
St. Louis (5-8-1) @ Chicago (7-3-4) - 8:30PM

^ALL TIMES EASTERN


*My weekly power rankings, "PLUS/MINUS", comes out on Monday evenings

~Dropping the Gloves with Andrew Bogusch comes out Wednesday evenings

FEEL FREE TO COMMENT OR EMAIL ANYTIME HERE OR AT FROMTHESLOT@GMAIL.COM

FTS - 11/13/08

TOP STORY

SWAN SONG

(Photo Credit: The Hockey News)
GM Brian Burke has been fired by the Anaheim Ducks

TSN.Ca Link: http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=255628&lid=headline&lpos=topStory_nhl

When we talk about free agency and who will go where, 99.9% of the time, we're talking about players and sometimes coaches. It's very rare for there to be a GM "Hot Stove", but when one of the best GM's in the league becomes available, the rumors will begin. Brian Burke is only 2 years removed from winning a Stanley Cup and has built a very strong franchise in Souther California. It's not a matter of IF Brian Burke becomes a GM on another team, it's a matter of when and where. Scott Burnside of ESPN.com does an excellent job of breaking down the potential suitors:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/columns/story?columnist=burnside_scott&id=3699161

OTHER HEADLINES

-Heart defects have been found in five players from Russia's KHL since the death of rising star Alexei Cherepanov. The league ordered the tests after the 19-year-old Cherepanov collapsed and died last month from a heart condition while playing for his club Avangard. Cherepanov was a New York Rangers draft pick. Russian league spokesman Marat Safin said 49 players have undergone testing with their clubs, and five turned out to have problems. He said that figure could rise because 18 players are still to be checked. Results from the total sample of 67 players are expected Friday.
Safin said there was no reason to suspect any form of drug abuse or doping among the players.

RUMOR MILL

-Mats Sundin Update: In an interview translated from Swedish, Mats said that he'd make a decision around Christmas time and that if he did come back, it would be in the NHL. Apparently, he's been studying at the Roger Clemens/Brett Favre School of Procrastination.

LAST NIGHT'S RECAP

Buffalo Sabres (9-3-3) over the St. Louis Blues (5-8-1) 4-3

-The Sabres would jump out to a 3-0 lead in the 1st period thanks to goals from Adam Mair, Tim Connolly and Jason Pominville. St. Louis would creep back to make it 3-2, but Henrik Tallinder's goal early in the 3rd period would give Buffalo the game winner. David Perron, Patrik Berglung and Lee Stempniak scored the three St. Louis goals. The win snaps a two game losing streak for Buffalo and it also ended a 12-game winless streak against the Blues. St. Louis forward Keith Tkachuk had an assist and is now just four points shy of 1,000 for his career. The Blues fell to 0-3-1 on their current five-game road trip.

Washington Capitals (9-4-2) over the Carolina Hurricanes (8-6-2) 5-1

- If I told you that an Alexander on the Capitals had two goals and three assists in a game, you're mind would automatically go to Ovechkin. Well, it's Alexander Semin who is the star in DC right now. His five points helped the Capitals to take sole possession of first place in the Southeast last night. Semin is now the league's point leader (13G 14A. He has 3 more poitns than Penguins C Evgeni Malkin). C Nicklas Backstrom and Alexander Ovechkin both added a goal and three assists each. Jose Theodore stopped 13 shots over the final two periods in relief of Brent Johnson, who made 13 saves but said he injured his hip in the first and did not return after the break. All of Washington's wins this season have come as part of two-or-more-game win streaks.

New York Rangers (12-5-2) over the New Jersey Devils (7-6-2) 5-2

-For only the third time in 101 meetings with the Devils over 15 years, the Rangers faced a goalie other than Brodeur and made the most of the opportunity. The Devils had a 1-0 lead heading in to the 2nd period (thanks to a Travis Zajac goal), but the Rangers would score three goals in a 2:08 span (Michal Rozsival-PPG, Chris Drury, Lauri Korpikoski) and Nikolai Zherdev would add two goals later on for the win. The Rangers played without Scott Gomez, who is day to day with a leg injury. Rangrs G Henrik Lundqvist's streak of 18 straight starts allowing two or fewer goals against the Devils team is the second longest streak in the NHL's modern era. Former Rangers G Kevin Weekes got the start but was chased after allowing four goals in the 2nd period. Jamie Langenbrunner scored the other Devils goal (PP).

Phoenix Coyotes (8-6-0) over the Columbus Blue Jackets (7-7-2) 5-2

-RW Shane Doan had his third two-goal game of the season (and 30th of his career) to help the Coyotes win their third game in a row. He hit the post on another shot to miss his getting his first career hat trick (that's gotta sting after 897 games). The Coyotes had a 4-0 lead middway through the 2nd period and also got goals from Steven Reinprecht, Kevin Porter and Martin Hanzal. Ilya Bryzgalov made 31 saves in the win and has won his last three starts and four of the last five, giving up just eight goals in those five games. Rick Nash (PPG) and Derrick Brassard scored the two Columbus goals. It was the first career loss for Columbus goalie Steve Mason, who was the NHL's second star of the week after winning his first three starts last week.

Florida Panthers (6-8-1) over the Tampa Bay Lightning (5-6-4) 4-0

-Backup G Craig Anderson made 24 saves for his first shutout of the season and Gregory Campbell had two goals (one on the PP) and an assist in Florida's 4-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning. Florida is now 13-3-0 in it's last 16 home games against the Lightning. Bryan McCabe and Nathan Horton (PP) scored the other Florida goals. With the loss, the Lightning closed out a five-game trip with a 1-3-1 record. Tampa Bay has scored one first-period goal in its last six games.

Boston Bruins (9-3-3) over the Chicago Blackhawks (7-3-4) 2-1 (SO)

-Tim Thomas made 31 saves, his fifth straight start with at least 30 saves, to lead Boston to its seventh win in its last eight games. Marco Sturm would score on the PP for the Bruins in the 2nd period and Jonathan Toews scored on the PP for Chicago in the 3rd to knot things up at 1 a piece. In the shootout, PJ Axelsson and Blake Wheeler would score to give the Bruins the edge in the Original 6 match-up. Nikolai Khabibulin made 38 saves in the loss for the Blackhawks. The Blackhawks' winning streak was snapped at four, but they remained unbeaten in regulation at home (6-0-3). The Blackhawks retired the #3 to honor Pilote Magnuson before the game.

Colorado Avalanche (7-8-0) over the Vancouver Canucks (9-6-1) 2-1 (SO)
-Taylor Pyatt would get the scoring going in the 2nd period when he scored on a penalty shot. Vancouver would hold that lead until early in the 3rd period when Paul Stastny scored on the power play. That goal would end G Roberto Luongo's shutout streak at 242:36, but still eclipsed his own franchise record of 210:34 set last Dec. 2. Wojtek Wolski and Marek Svatos both scored in the shootout. It was just the second time this season Roberto Luongo (made 33 saves) gave up two or fewer goals and lost. Avs G Peter Budaj made 31 saves in the win and has only allowed one goal in his past two starts. Colorado won without captain Joe Sakic, who stayed in Denver because of a sore back but could rejoin the team on its three-game trip through western Canada. gave up two or fewer goals and lost. It was Vancouver's 2nd loss in the last 7 games (5-1-1)

AROUND THE BOARDS

-Ottawa Senators forward Jarkko Ruutu has been suspended for two games, without pay, as a result of an elbowing incident that happened onTuesday night against the Montreal Canadiens. Ruutu was assessed a two-minute minor penalty for charging against Montreal player Maxim Lapierre at 2:05 of the third period. Rutuu will miss a home-and-home series against the New York Islanders on November 13 and 15. He will be eligible to return Nov. 15 at the New York Rangers.

-Carolina Hurricanes rookie center Brandon Sutter was activated off the IR yesterday after recovering from a concussion. Sutter was hurt in a 10/25 game against the New York Islanders when he took a hard hit from Doug Weight. He was helped off the ice by team staff and taken to a local hospital where the diagnosis was made. After more than a week off the ice, Sutter began skating last Friday. He missed the team's last eight games. Sutter has one goal and two assists in seven games this season. The Hurricanes re-assigned center Dwight Helminen to Albany of the AHL to open a roster spot. Helminen has notched a goal and an assist in eight games for Carolina this season.

GAME OF THE NIGHT

Montreal Canadiens (9-2-2) @ Boston Bruins (9-3-3) - 7PM

When you talk about rivalries, it doesn't get much better than when these two Original 6 teams collide. Boston has won four in a row and is coming off a 2-1 shootout win over Chicago last night. The Bruins are spreading the wealth offensively as nine different players have at least eight points. Bruins G Tim Thomas'1.76 goals-against average leads the league. But he hasn't had such success against Montreal, losing his last eight starts against them in the regular season to fall to 4-12-2 with a 3.22 GAA lifetime.Montreal is coming off a 4-0 win over Ottawa on Tuesday night. Carey Price earned his first shutout of the season in the win. Boston will be looking to end a 12-game regular-season losing streak after pushing Montreal to 7 games in the first round of the playoffs last season.

Other Action:
NY Islanders (4-9-2) @ Ottawa (6-7-2) - 7PM

Philadelphia (5-6-3) @ Pittsburgh (9-4-2) - 7PM

Detroit (9-2-3) @ Tampa Bay (5-6-4) - 7:30PM

Phoenix (8-6-0) @ Minnesota (8-4-1) - 8PM

Los Angeles (6-6-2) @ Dallas (5-7-3) - 8:30PM

Toronto (6-6-4) @ Edmonton (8-6-1) - 9PM

Calgary (9-7-1) @ San Jose (13-3-1) - 10:30PM

^ALL TIMES EASTERN

*My weekly power rankings, "PLUS/MINUS", comes out on Monday evenings

~Dropping the Gloves with Andrew Bogusch comes out Wednesday evenings

FEEL FREE TO COMMENT OR EMAIL ANYTIME HERE OR AT FROMTHESLOT@GMAIL.COM

DROPPING THE GLOVES WITH ANDREW BOGUSCH - 11/12/08

(Andrew Bogusch will contribute a regular column every week to FTS. Any comments can be sent to FromTheSlot@gmail.com)

Martin Brodeur’s elbow surgery might not end the Devils’ playoff chances, but it has ended (for now) a major injustice to the goaltenders of yesteryear.

The new season began with Brodeur within stick’s length of Patrick Roy’s career mark for wins and Terry Sawchuk’s shutout record. Brodeur’s injured distal bicep will keep him seven W’s shy of the Canadiens legend and five goose-eggs behind the long-time Red Wing well into the New Year. But he will eventually pass both, and few will mention the late push Brodeur received from the shootout. Without the possibility of a tie, a goalie’s win-loss record is a different animal than it was when Roy, Sawchuk and even a young Brodeur played. Since the shootout was installed coming out of the lockout, Brodeur has earned 19 wins that would have previously been ties. Yes, subtracting those 19 wins from his overall total still keeps him on Roy’s heels; and yes, the bulk of Brodeur’s 544 wins came pre-shootout, but we cannot predict how many more wins Roy would have accumulated with the benefit of a game-deciding skills competition.

None of this came up two seasons ago when Brodeur and Roberto Luongo attacked Bernie Parent’s single-season record for wins. Brodeur’s 48, which was one more than Parent in 1973-74, included 10 shootout wins. The shootout effect is far less pronounced when it comes to shutouts, but it still exists. As always, goalies receive a shutout for going scoreless through overtime. But now, one of those goalies eventually gets a loss, too. You should not lose AND get an SO.

All this being said, there is no way to fairly recalibrate win-loss records or shutout totals to account for shootouts. Brodeur will eventually surpass Roy and Sawchuk, and should be celebrated for that. What the league can do is create two separate sets of goalie records moving forward – pre-shootout and post-shootout. That will allow our current netminders to make their own marks and protect the résumés of those that played before them.

* * *

We defended Doug Weight’s open-ice hit on Hurricanes rookie center Brandon Sutter in this space a few weeks ago. At that time, we asked what else Weight could have done in that instance. Well, we’re asking that same question of Tom Kostopoulos and Mike Van Ryn after the Canadien checked the Maple Leaf into the boards from behind over the weekend.

Van Ryn suffered a concussion, broken nose, a broken bone in his hand, and a cut to his forehead on the play. He’s expected to miss a month, while Kostopoulos has been suspended without pay for three games. Some observers will call for a longer banishment, but three games are enough for Kostopoulos. Could he have let up completely and played the puck? Yes, but this is hockey, a physical, sometimes nasty, game. Kostopoulos made the choice to play the body, and when Van Ryn showed his numbers to reverse the puck, Kostopoulos (and Van Ryn) was screwed.

* * *

There is just something petty about the Rangers petitioning for a compensatory pick in the wake of Alexei Cherepanov’s death in Russia. The CBA bylaws allow for compensation when a team is unable to sign a first round draft pick, but not in this type of situation. The only thing the Blueshirts should do at this point is work with the NHL and the IIHF to make the KHL improve its emergency precautions and procedures, so that this does not happen to another young man.
As salaries rise and personal seat licenses become more prominent, we’re constantly reminded sports are a business these days. And while that is true, it does not remove tact and respect from the equation. The Rangers’ request is inappropriate and selfish, and hopefully Gary Bettman does not honor it.

* * *
The Shootout...Sixty-eight goaltenders have stepped into a crease as of Monday night. The Thrashers, Oilers, Devils and Islanders have already gone to a third netminder, while the Blues and Blue Jackets have already played in front of four men. While Roberto Luongo continues to horde shutouts, while Martin Brodeur rehabs his elbow, while Marty Turco finds his way in Dallas, let’s not overlook the current exploits of Steve Mason in Columbus and Brent Johnson in Washington.

Johnson has outplayed free agent pickup Jose Theodore to date. He has started the Caps last three games, winning 2 of them. Mason, the rookie left-hander, won the first three starts of his career last week, allowing 8 total goals...

Jay Bouwmeester trade rumors are heating up sooner than we thought. The assumption at the start of the year was that Florida would hold onto its blue-chip blueliner until the Trade Deadline. But with the Panthers scuffling, Bouwmeester may be packing up sooner rather than later. Brandon Dubinsky’s name has been floated around here in NYC as part of a package for Bouwmeester. If they are willing to move Dubinsky, the Rangers would be better served to check in with Minnesota (Marian Gaborik) or Chicago (Martin Havlat) first.

FTS 11/12/08

TOP STORY

PENGUIN PAYBACK

(Photo Credit: Paul Sancya - AP)

Jordan Staal celebrates the first of his three 3rd period goals in the comeback win

NHL AP Link: http://www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2008020216

Pittsburgh Penguins (9-4-2) over the Detroit Red Wings (9-2-3) 7-6 (OT)

Seeing another team win the Stanley Cup on your home ice is always tough. It does provide good motivation for the next time the teams meet, and Jordan Staal was certainly motivated to rally the Penguins back to victory. Staal had a hat trick in the 3rd period (including the tying goal with 23 seconds remaining) and set up Ruslan Fedotenko's game-winning goal in OT with just 1:11 remaining.

Sidney Crosby would open the scoring, but the Red Wings would score 3 straight goals after that (McCarty, Holmstrom-PP, Franzen-PP). Maxime Talbot would narrow the lead to a goal, but Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg (PPG) would answer right back to give the Red Wings a commanding 5-2 lead early in the 3rd period. Evgeni Malkin (PPG - extending his point streak to 11 games) and Staal's first goal would narrow the lead back to one goal again, but Jiri Hudler would give Detroit a 6-4 lead with just under 10 minutes to go in the game. Jordan Staal would carry the Penguins the rest of the way with his clutch performance. "We have a lot of talent on this team and we have good heart," Staal said about the big road come back.

The lone brightspot in the loss for Detroit was Nicklas Lidstrom's two assists, giving him 949 career points to move past injured teammate Chris Chelios for ninth place among the highest scoring blue-liners in NHL history. Johan Franzen played after missing five games with a sprained left knee. He has 34 goals in his last 41 games, including the playoffs. Detroit forward Dan Cleary (eye infection) was scratched for the first time this season. The Red Wings will try to rebound with a two-game road trip through Florida, starting at Tampa on Thursday night.

Pittsburgh defenseman Rob Scuderi barely got off the ice in the first period after Lidstrom's slap shot hit him on the left ankle. He returned to play four-plus minutes later but finished with just under seven minutes of ice time. "We don't know anything yet," coach Michel Therrien said. The Penguins will try to extend their four game winning steak tomorrow night when they host the Flyers.

RUMOR MILL

-Brendan Shanahan is VERY close to signing a deal with somone (like within the week close). Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, NJ, Montreal, and Boston are the rumored teams.

LAST NIGHT'S RECAP

Philadelphia Flyers (5-6-3) over the New York Islanders (4-9-2) 3-1

-The Flyers snapped their three game losing streak thanks to goals from Daniel Briere and Mike Richards (shorthanded). Kimmo Timonen would add an empty net goal and Marty Biron made 35 saves int the win. Trent Hunter scored the lone Islanders goal and Joey MacDonald made 29 saves in the loss. C Josh Bailey made his NHL debut for New York and took 2 penalties. The big story here is Flyers Daniel Briere leaving the game midway through the 2nd period with a lower-body injury. This was Briere's second game back since returning from abdominal surgery. "I am playing it on the cautious side," Briere said. "It's a lower body injury and at this point I'd rather not say more. It has nothing to do with the surgery. It's just another thing that popped up."

Montreal Canadiens (9-2-2) over the Ottawa Senators (6-7-2) 4-0
-It was a night of firsts for the Canadiens. Christopher Higgins scored his first career hat trick (1 of the goals was SH) and Carey Price posted his first shutout of the season. Price would make 28 saves in the win and Guillaume Latendresse scored the other Montreal goal. Alex Auld returned to the net for Ottawa after sitting out a game and made 27 saves in the loss. Montreal's Tom Kostopoulos began serving a three-game suspension handed down by the league Monday for his hit from behind on Toronto's Mike Van Ryn on Saturday.

Calgary Flames (9-7-1) over the Toronto Maple Leafs (6-6-4) 4-3
-Dustin Boyd took advantage of moving up to the top line to replace Mike Cammalleri (out w/ the flu) and scored two goals in the Flames fourth straight home win over Toronto. Jarome Iginla (PPG) and Dion Phanuef would score the other Flames goals to help them jump out to a 4-1 lead early in the 3rd period. Alexei Ponikarovsky (PPG), Nik Antropov and Matt Stajan potted the three Maple Leaf goals. Flames G Miikka Kiprusoff made 29 saves and improved to 6-2-1 at home this season. Toronto is now 1-3-1 in its last five games. Flames rookie D Adam Pardy took the spot of D Jim Vandermeer, who broke a bone in his ankle Sunday and will be sidelined for six to eight weeks. Calgary RW Rene Bourque played in his 200th game. Toronto LW Jason Blake was a healthy scratch (he's unhappy and could be on the move) with LW Ryan Hollweg inserted in his spot.

Los Angeles Kings (6-6-2) over the Dallas Stars (5-7-3) 3-2 (SO)

-Alexander Frolov's goal in the 5th round of the shootout got the Kings back to .500 in the first game of this home and home. Jarett Stoll scored a PPG in his 300th career NHL game and Anze Kopitar had two assists (Dustin Brown scored the other goal) in the LA victory. Jere Lehtinen and Mike Modano (career goal #533) scored both of Dallas' goals. Kings backup G Erik Ersberg made 19 saves to improve to 3-1-1 on the season (he may not be a backup too much longer at this rate) and Marty Turco made 24 saves to drop to 4-6-3. The Stars finished their five-game road trip with just one win. Dustin Brown and Brendan Morrow would both receive game misconducts (Brown for boarding, Morrow for instigating a fight with Brown after the boarding).

NashvillePredators (7-7-1) over the San Jose Sharks (13-3-1) 4-3 (OT)
-The big game of the night was the Pens-Wings Stanley Cup rematch, but Sharks-Preds has been a heated playoff match-up the past two seasons. Like Pittsburgh, Nashville got a bit of revenge by handing the Sharks their first home loss of the season last night. San Jose took a franchise-record 57 SOG, but Dan Ellis stood tall and turned away 54 of them. Devin Setoguchi scored twice and Rob Blake added a PP goal for San Jose while Jason Arnott, Vernon Fiddler and Ryan Suter would score the regulation goals for Nashville. Ville Koistinen scored the game winner 2:28 in to OT. RW Jonathan Cheechoo missed his third straight game with an upper body injury from a hard check in last week's win over St. Louis. D Dan Boyle missed the game because his wife, Amber, gave birth to daughter Eastin Sky Boyle on Tuesday morning (congrats to the Boyle's).

AROUND THE BOARDS

-The Edmonton Oilers have claimed forward Jesse Boulerice off waivers from the Colorado Avalanche. They have also placed LW Steve MacIntyre on the IR. Boulerice has 4 points (2G, 2A) with 46 penalty minutes in 12 games this season with the Lake Erie Monsters (AHL).

GAME OF THE NIGHT

Boston Bruins (8-3-3) @ Chicago Blackhawks (7-3-3) - 8:30PM

Washington-Carolina might be a more important game, but I'm a sucker for Original 6 match-ups. Tonight's game happens to match two of the hottest teams in the NHL. Chicago is 6-0-2 at home and they are averaging the highest home attendance in the league (if I had said that about the United Center 3 years ago, I would have been committed). The Blackhawks have won four in a row and are seeking their longest winning streak in nearly seven years. Boston is getting stellar goaltending regardless of who is in net, having allowed seven goals over the last six games. Tim Thomas has made at least 30 saves in each of his last four starts and owns a .944 save percentage on the season. Manny Fernandez got the start Saturday and stopped 32 shots as the Bruins beat Buffalo 3-1 to complete a perfect three-game homestand. The Bruins have won the last two meetings with the Blackhawks, including a 5-3 victory Dec. 29, 2006 in their last visit to Chicago.

Other Action:

St. Louis (5-7-1) @ Buffalo (8-3-3) - 7PM

Washington (8-4-2) @ Carolina (8-5-2) - 7PM

NY Rangers (11-5-2) @ New Jersey (7-5-2) - 7PM

Phoenix(7-6-0) @ Columbus (7-6-2) - 7PM

Tampa Bay (5-5-4) @ Florida (5-8-1) - 7:30PM

Colorado (6-8-0) @ Vancouver (9-6-0) - 10PM

^ALL TIMES EASTERN

*My weekly power rankings, "PLUS/MINUS", comes out on Monday evenings

~Dropping the Gloves with Andrew Bogusch comes out Wednesday evenings

FEEL FREE TO COMMENT OR EMAIL ANYTIME HERE OR AT FROMTHESLOT@GMAIL.COM

TODAY'S FTS IS BELOW PLUS/MINUS

PLUS/MINUS - 11/10/08

*PLUS/MINUS is my weekly Power Rankings Column. The + or – is based on the previous weeks rankings.

PLUS/MINUS

Patrick Marleau and the Sharks are firing on all cylinders

1) San Jose Sharks {13-3-0} (EVEN)
They went 3-1 in the past week (wins vs. MIN, STL, DAL, loss @ PHO). San Jose was on a 7-game winning streak until the loss at Phoenix last night. They were bound to lose at some point and divisional games have a way of hampering big streaks like that. The bottom line is that the Sharks are playing the best hockey in the league right now. They can blow you out or win the close one. Could you imagine if their PP was better than 24th in the league (14.7%)? LW Ryane Clowe has been on fire with 4G and 2A in their past four games. As long as G Evgeni Nabokov isn't out too long, San Jose will continue their domination.

2) Detroit Red Wings {9-2-2} (+3)
They've only played one game since the last P/M, and they beat the Devils 3-1. Their Power Play is still tops in the league at 30.9% and their PK is a pedestrian 81% (16th in the league). If you're a hockey fan, pray that Detroit and San Jose have no major injuries and meet in the Western Confernce Finals. RW Marian Hossa is fitting in just fine, leading the team with 17 points (8G 9A).

3) New York Rangers {11-5-1} (EVEN)
The Rangers went 1-2-0 in the past week (loss vs. NYI, won vs. TB, loss @ WAS). The Blueshirts looked very lazy against the Isles but rebounded with a very good game against the Lightning. A questionable goal did them in against Washington on Saturday night. The two problems with this team is their power play (ranked 19th in the league @ 16.5%) and that HC Tom Renney needs to stop switching line combinations so much. Their PK is still clicking well at 89.4% (2nd in the league).

4) Montreal Canadiens {8-2-2} (-2)

This past week was a tough one for Les Habitents (0-2 loss @ CLB in a SO and loss 6-3 to TOR). With the way Boston and Buffalo are playing, Montreal can't afford too many slip ups. Their power play (11th in the league @ 19.14%) and penalty kill (13th in the league at 82.4%) can both stand to be improved a bit. With more and more names popping up in trade rumors, it'll be interesting to see what Montreal does now that the Gaborik rumors have cooled down.

5) Boston Bruins {8-3-3} (+3)
The Bruins are the hottest team in the Eastern Conference. The B's have won three in a row and six of their past seven. Tim Thomas is posting a ridiuclous 1.85 GAA and .944 save percentage. Their PP is steadily improving (now at 20.8%, tied for 8th best in the league), but they MUST improve their PK at 77.2% (tied for 25th in the league). Marc Savard is leading the team in assists and points (10A, 16P) and Phil Kessel still leads the team in goals with 7.

6) Buffalo Sabres {8-3-3} (EVEN)
Buffalo had a tough 1-1-1 week. They opened it up by beating a Brodeurless-Devil team and then followed that up with an OT loss to the Thrashers (who they can't seem to beat ever) and a road loss to the red-hot Bruins. Their special teams are doing very well. Buffalo's PP is ranked 6th (20.6%) and their penalty kill is ranked 4th (88.7%). The Sabres have two easy home games this week to get back on track against St. Louis and Columbus.

7) Minnesota Wild {8-4-1} (-3)
A 1-2 week for Minnesota (loss @ SJ, won @ COL, loss @ VAN) wrapped up a four game road trip for them. The Wild had the misfortune of running in to a hot Sharks team and Roberto Luongo playing in top form. Their PK is still tops in the league at 92.5%. C Mikko Koivu is playing the pivot well, registering 13 assists and leading the team with 15 points. G Nicklas Backstrom has started all but one game this season and is posting a 2.19 GAA with a .931 save percentage.

8) Pittsburgh Penguins {8-4-2} (+2)
A 2-0 week could have very easily been an 0-2 week for the Penguins. The bottom line is good teams win close games. Pittsburgh beat the Oilers 5-4 after jumping out to a 5-0 lead and beat the Islanders on a questionable shootout goal on Saturday night. For a team that is known for their offense, Pittsburgh's PK is clicking very well at 88.5% (5th in the league). While Evgeni Malkin (18A, 4G) and Sidney Crosby (13A, 3G) are doing a fantastic job setting up their teammates, both are too good to be passing off as much as they are. They need to start lighting the lamp themselves.

9) Anaheim Ducks {9-7-1} (+4)
The Ducks started off the week a strong 2-0, but finished with two losses. After beating the Kings in a shootout and beating down the Kings, the Stars outplayed the Ducks badly and Panthers G Craig Anderson had a stellar 44 save performance against them. The Ducks have been winning by scoring a lot of goals, but Jean-Sebastian Giguere needs to settle down and get more consistent between the pipes (3.07 GAA, .907 save percentage). Their top 3 point-men are the usual suspects (Getzlaf-19, Perry-18, Selanne-15).

10) Chicago Blackhawks {7-3-3} (+2)
I have to eat my words on the Denis Savard firing. The Blackhawks are 6-1-2 since they hired Joel Quenneville. They are averaging just over 4 goals in their wins under Quenneville and the 3 losses have all been by 1 goal (2 in the shootout). Their special teams are clicking on both ends (7th on the PP at 21.2%, 3rd in the PK at 89.3%). If the Blackhawks can get some quality depth players for G Nikolai Khabibulin, they could be a team that no one wants to play.

11) Vancouver Cancuks {9-6-0} (+7)
Everyone is paying attention to San Jose, Detroit and Anaheim in the West, but look out for the Canucks. They went 3-0 this week (vs. NAS, PHO, MIN) and all three wins were shutouts by Roberto Luongo. If Luongo can get hot for a long stretch like we've seen him do in the past, Vancouver can distance themselves from Calgary, Edmonton and Colorado. A lot of names are floating in and out of Vancouver in trade rumors, so it will be interesting to see what the make up of this team will be in the coming weeks. A little more offense and they could be dominant.

12) Carolina Hurricanes {8-5-2} (-1)
A 2-2 week for Carolina (won @ TOR in OT, lost @ WAS, won vs. OTT, los vs. ATL) keeps them in the division lead, but they will need to play better. Washington is heating up and blowing the game at the end of the 3rd period on Thursday night gave the Caps a huge boost. The Hurricanes are getting a pretty even points distribution throughout the team, but guys like Erik Staal and Sergei Samsonov need to step up and be the scorers they are soon. Carolina has been impressive on the road (5-2-2) but need to improve on their .500 home record (3-3-0).

13) Washington Capitals {7-4-2} (+4)
Now that the Capitals have found some consistency in net, they may be able to get in to the same late-season form that propelled them in to the playoffs last year. Brent Johnson is 2-0-1 in his last three starts, and while HC Bruce Boudreau has said he'll go with the hot goalie, Johnson is clearly the best goalie in DC right now (Theodore just hasn't gotten it done). Alexander Semin continues his dominant play (11G, 10A), but Alexander Ovechkin needs to get back in to a groove.
14) Calgary Flames {8-7-1} (-7)

15) New Jersey Devils {7-5-2} (-6)
Any hockey fan has always known that the Devils go as Martin Brodeur goes. Since Marty went down, the Devils are 1-3 (and had to go to a SO to beat Tampa). Zach Parise has been the only player with a pulse on offense for New Jersey, scoring 11 goals and adding 5 assists. It will be interesting to see if the Devils make a trade for a goaltender (Khabibulin or Roloson perhaps) or if they stand pat with Kevin Weekes. New Jersey plays good enough defense that Weekes will be okay in net and that they should make a trade to help bolster their anemic offense and 28th ranked power play.

16) Columbus Blue Jackets {7-6-2} (+7)
When Columbus was playing mediocre (at best) hockey in the beginning of the year, HC Ken Hitchcock said the team was playing better hockey than their record indicated. That better hockey is starting to show. The Blue Jackets went 3-0-1 on the week (won vs. EDM, MON, CAL) and could have easily been 4-0 if they didn't blow the road game to the Islanders in OT. Goalie prospect Steve Mason is 3-0 in his first three NHL starts and looks like he's about to put Frederik Norrena out of the backup job. If Columbus can play more consistent and improve their 29th ranked PP, they might be able to shake the title of the only NHL team to never make the playoffs.

17) Edmonton Oilers {7-6-1} (-2)
The Oilers are 1-2 on the week (lost @ COL and @ PIT, won @ NJ), but are 3-3 on their 7 game road trip (which will end tonight against the Rangers). For a young team, Edmonton is playing well on a season long (and tied for 2nd longest in team history) road trip. LW Ales Hemsky is leading the team in points (15) and assists (10) and is providing a good offensive spark. The rest of the team needs to feed off of that. The Oilers seem to be missing something and their name has also been involved in trade rumors.

18) Toronto Maple Leafs {6-5-4} (-2)
The Maple Leafs finished the week 1-1-1 (OTL vs. Carolina, loss @ Boston) but the one win was a big one. The Leafs broke away from the Canadiens in the 3rd period on Hockey Night in Canada to get a 6-3 win. They lost D Mike Van Ryn in the process thanks to a cheap hit from Tom Kotsopoulis. While their high-energy power play is doing well at 20.8% (8th in the league), but must improve on their league worst penalty kill at 72.6%.

19) Ottawa Senators {6-6-2} (+3)
If the Northeast Division wasn't competitve enough, here come the Senators. They went 2-1 for the week (won vs. WAS, won vs. PHI), but their lone loss came in Martin Gerber's return back to the lineup. He made 23 saves in the 2-1 loss and looked a little rusty. Alex Auld was due for a rest, but Ottawa needs to keep Auld in net while he's hot. Both of their special teams units rank in the Top Ten in the league (PP = 4th @ 21.9%, PK = 8th @ 86.7%).

20) Phoenix Coyotes {7-6-0} (+7)
Phoenix had a big week, going 3-1 (won @ CAL, lost @ VAN, wins vs. FLA & SJ). Their lone loss was 1-0 to a unbeatable Roberto Luongo. They also ended the Sharks seven game winning streak and got their record above .500 for the first time this season. Not a bad week for Wayne Gretzky and co. They are 10th in the league on the penalty kill (84.4%) but need to improve their 26th ranked PP (14.3%). G Ilya Bryzgalov finally seems to be settling in to a groove.

21) Nashville Predators {6-7-1} (-7)
The Preds had a great week last week. Too bad they couldn't build off of it. They went 0-3 on the week and looked miserable in every game. They started off with a 4-0 loss to the Canucks (another Luongo victim), put themselves in such a whole at Calgary that 6 goals couldn't win the game (lost 7-6), and were shutout 1-0 by Peter Budaj (of all people) and the Avs. It doesn't get any easier for Nashville as they continue their road trip with the three California teams to close out the 6 game road trip.

22) Tampa Bay Lightning {5-4-4} (+4)
The Lightning finished off the week at 1-1-1. They lost in a SO to the Devils, then were beaten soundly by the Rangers, and then rebounded with a 2-1 road win in Philly. Vinny Lecavlaier has been good (6G 5A) but needs to produce more and the Tampa needs to stop underachieving on the power play (they are much better PP team than 25th in the league). G Mike Smith has played well, posting a 4-3-3 record with a 2.32 GAA and a .934 save percentage.

23) Atlanta Thrashers {6-7-2} (+6)
The Thrashers are finally beginning to wake up. Coincidentally, it's at the same time as their offense. They are on a 4 game winning streak and are averaging just under 5 goals scored a game in those wins. They are also getting better play in net with Johan Hedberg and Ondrej Pavelec, so Kari Lehtonen's days are numbered in Atlanta. Lehtonen would make a good goalie on a team that has a good defense in front of him (young goalie, Martin Brodeur is getting older, hello Lou Lamoriello). Atlanta needs to improve on their 2nd worst PK (73.1%)

24) Los Angeles Kings {5-6-2} (+4)
The young Kings had just about as good of a week as a Kings fan could hope for this season. They pushed Anaheim to a 1-0 SO loss and beat Florida 3-2 and St. Louis 5-3. No one is expecting hte Kings to make the playoffs this year, but if they can put together a few weeks like this, it will give them something to build off of as the season progresses. Their PK is surprisingly good at 87.9% (6th in the league).

25) Dallas Stars {5-7-2} (-1)
This has been an extremely disappointing season for the Stars so far. This was a team that was expected to finish no worse than a competitive 2nd or 3rd in the Pacific, and could very well finish in 5th if they keep playing like this. You can argue this team got better with their off-season acquisitions, but it all boils down to Marty Turco not playing like his usual regular season-self. He has posted a 3.93 GAA and a ghastly .858 save percentage for a 4-6-2 record thus far. The other problem is their 4th worst PK (76.9%).

26) New York Islanders {4-8-2} (+4)
A decent week for the Isles led to a 2-1-1 week. They came from behind to beat Columbus in OT, took advantage of a flat Rangers team, blew yet another lead to the Thrashers, and lost in the shootout to the Penguins on a questionable goal call. G Joey MacDonald has stepped in given a solid effort in the absence of Rick DiPietro. (4-5-2, .899 save percentage, 3.14 GAA). If the Isles want to do any damage, they need to improve their power play quickly (14.3% - 4th worst in the league).

27) Colorado Avalanche {6-8-0} (-7)
The Avs snapped a 5 game losing streak and salvaged a 1-2 week with a 1-0 win over Nasvhille. Other than that, there is nothing positive going on with this team right now. Whatever Tony Granato was doing during the team's five-game winning streak, he needs to go back to doing it. G Peter Budaj is coming off a 1-0 win, but hasn't done much else. It might be time to give Andrew Raycroft a legitimate chance to start between the pipes.

28) Philadelphia Flyers {4-6-3} (-9)
After Philly made so much progress to get away from a really bad start to the season, they reverted back to old ways and went 0-2 on the week. They were outplayed by Ottawa and just couldn't get anything going against Tampa Bay. The one bright spot on this team is their 3rd ranked power play (24.2%). Where is the Marty Biron that the Flyers had in the playoffs last year?

29) Florida Panthers {5-8-1} (-4)
You know things aren't going well offensively when a defenseman is leading your team in points (Keith Ballard - 2G 8A). Florida managed to break a 6 game winless slump and an 0-2 week with a 3-1 win over the Ducks (thanks to a David Booth hat trick). They finished the road trip at 1-3-1. Their 23rd ranked PK (78.1%) and their dead-last power play 10%) both need to find their touch quickly otherwise this could be a long season in Sunrise, FL. Is it just me, or does backup G Craig Anderson play better as he faces a higher number of shots?

30) St. Louis Blues {5-7-1} (-9)
The Blues team we saw at the beginning of the season looks to be the exception to the rule for St. Louis this year. After opening the year 4-1, they have now dropped 5 in a row (0-4-1). Losing Manny Legace hurt this team bad, but they were beginning to show signs of decay before the Sarah Palin visit. The ONLY bright spot for this team right now is their 2nd ranked power play unit. If they can keep their PP clicking, it will get the rest of the team going soon.

BIGGEST GAINER = Vancouver Canucks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Phoenix Coyotes (All a +7)
BIGGEST LOSER = Philadelphia Flyers & St. Louis Blues (Both are a -9)
-14 Teams Moved Up
-13 Teams Moved Down
-3 Remained Even

FTS 11/11/08

HAPPY VETERANS DAY AND THANK YOU TO ALL OF THE WHO HAVE SERVED

TOP STORY

2008 HOCKEY HALL OF FAME CLASS

(Photo Credit: Reuters)

Accepting the awards and posing with their Honoured Member Rings are (from) Jeff Chynoweth, accepting on behalf of his posthumously awarded father Ed Chynoweth, Glenn Anderson, Ray Scapinello, and Igor Larionov.

Canadian Press Link: http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=255418&lid=headline&lpos=topStory_nhl

Also, the 2008 Foster Hewitt Memorial Award (awarded to members of the radio and television industry who make outstanding contributions to their profession and the game of hockey during their broadcasting career) went to Devils/NBC/Versus Broadcaster Mike "Doc" Emerick.

OTHER HEADLINES

-The NHL suspended Montreal Canadiens forward Tom Kostopoulos for 3 games for a hit from behind on Toronto defenseman Mike Van Ryn in a game Saturday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Seven minutes into the game, Van Ryn chased a puck into his end, with Kostopoulos trailing. When he caught Van Ryn, Kostopoulos cross-checked him and drove him face-first into the end boards. Van Ryn suffered a concussion, a broken nose and a broken hand on the play. He had to be taken from the ice on a stretcher, and is expected to miss a month. Kostopoulos was assessed a roughing minor, a boarding major and a game misconduct."While it is my determination that Kostopoulos did not deliver a check to an unsuspecting opponent, his actions caused injuries," said NHL Senior Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations Colin Campbell.

RUMOR MILL

-Nothing specific to report today, but a lot of names and team's floating around. Expect a big deal or two before Thanksgiving.

LAST NIGHT'S RECAP

Edmonton Oilers (8-6-1) over the New York Rangers (11-5-2) 3-2 (SO)
-If you're and Edmonton Oilers fan, start practicing your pronunciation of Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers. (Drew-in Deh-laur-ee-ay). Deslauriers made 40 saves and went 3 for 3 in the shootout to help the Oilers close their road trip at 4-3. He is now 3-0 and has looked sharp in each start (either Garon or Roloson will be on their way out the door soon, that's for sure). Erik Cole and Kyle Brodziak gave the Oilers a 2-0 lead. Paul Mara and Chris Drury would rally the Rangers to tie it at 2. In the shootout, Ales Hemsky scored the lone goal (Lundqvist made the save but it deflected off of him in to the net) to give Ottawa the win @ MSG. New York is 1-3-1 since a 10-2-1 start.

Washington Capitals (8-4-2) over the Tampa Bay Lightning (5-4-4) 4-2

-Lightning G Olaf Kolzig's first game against his old team was a forgettable one. After 711 games in a Capitals uniform, he would surrender 4 goals (made 26 saves) in his first game in DC for another team. Washington scored three goals in the 1st period (Tom Poti, Mike Green, Erik Fehr) and would never look back. Alexander Ovechkin scored his first goal in 10 games (and added an assist) and G Brent Johnson made 34 saves. Gary Roberts scored two PP goals for Tampa. Washington is 6-0-1 at the Verizon Center, the only Eastern Conference team without a regulation loss at home. Alexander Semin's assist on Ovechkin's goal gave him 22 points, tying him with Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin for the league lead.

AROUND THE BOARDS

-For the second year in a row, the Islanders will have General Colin Powell as a special guest at the Nassau Coliseum. As part of Military Appreciation Day, General Powell will drop the ceremonial first puck along with Islanders owner Charles Wang, prior to the Islanders' Veterans Day matchup against the Philadelphia Flyers today at 2 pm.

-The New Jersey Devils placed D Paul Martin on the IR with upper back soreness on Monday. Martin is the sixth Devils player on the injured list, joining goalie Martin Brodeur, centres Brian Rolston and Bobby Holik, winger Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond and defenceman Andy Greene.

-It's a goalie sweep for the NHL's 3 Stars of the Week:

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=391617

-The St. Louis Blues are responding to tight economic times with a fan bailout plan. The team announced Monday that at every remaining Saturday home game beginning Nov. 29, the organization will call the seat number of a fan and pay that person's mortgage or rent for four months, up to US$4,000 total. The team also is offering discounted tickets, with 500 plaza-level seats available for $25 a ticket and another 500 in the mezzanine for $11.20 a ticket for each game this season. The team will also continue its Free Food game, where fans can receive some free food when they attend the March 15 game against Minnesota.

-Some of the NY Rangers will model in this month's Mens Journal (hits newstands today): http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=391588

GAME OF THE NIGHT

Pittsburgh Penguins (8-4-2) @ Detroit Red Wings (9-2-2) - 7PM
When it's a rematch of the two Stanley Cup finalists from last season, not much hype is needed. For Red Wings RW Marian Hossa, this will be his first game against the team he helped to reach the Stanley Cup Finals. Hossa currently leads his team in scoring with 17 points (9G 8A). Detroit is coming off a 4-2 win over the Devils on Saturday night and have won two in a row. The Penguins have won three in a row and are coming off a 4-3 SO win over the Islanders. This visit marks Pittsburgh's first regular-season trip to Detroit since Crosby's rookie year, a 3-1 loss on Dec. 12, 2005.

Other Action:
Philadelphia (4-6-3) @ NY Islanders (4-8-2) - 2PM

Ottawa (6-6-2) @ Montreal (8-2-2) - 7PM

Toronto (6-5-4) @ Calgary (8-7-1) - 9:30PM

Dallas (5-7-2) @ Los Angeles (5-6-2) - 10:30PM

Nashville (6-7-1) @ San Jose (13-3-0) - 10:30PM

^ALL TIMES EASTERN

*My weekly power rankings, "PLUS/MINUS", comes out on Monday evenings
~Dropping the Gloves with Andrew Bogusch comes out Wednesday evenings
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