WHEN SHOULD WE WORRY?
BRUINS LOSE FOR 5TH TIME IN 6 GAMES
The Boston Bruins won’t blow their Northeast Division lead, but their grip on the Eastern Conference is slipping after a 2-0 defeat Tuesday night in Columbus. That’s five losses in six games and 11 in 15, which has allowed the Devils to creep within six points of the conference’s #1 seed. Boston done in on this night by Blue Jackets rookie goalie Steve Mason (his 9th shutout!) and Tim Thomas’ broken mask. Thomas’ headgear needed repairs after a behind-the-net collision with Jiri Novotny early in the third period. He did not adjust well to the craftsmanship, allowing a rather weak goal to Raffi Torres less than three minutes after the wreck.
Rick Nash found an empty net for the other BJ goal, while Mason made 35 saves. Columbus now has 74 points (34-27-6), three better than Edmonton for sixth in the Western Conference.
TUESDAY'S OTHER ACTION
Devils 3 – Flames 2Martin Brodeur’s 549th career W was a 35-save effort against the Flames Tuesday night in New Jersey. Brodeur is now two victories away from Patrick Roy’s all-time mark. His Devils (43-20-2) have won a franchise-record-tying eight straight in Newark and now lead the Atlantic Division by seven points over Philadelphia. Jamie Langenbrunner, Brian Rolston and Zach Parise scored for NJ, while the Flames (39-22-6) got tallies from Oli Jokinen and Curtis Glencross. Calgary has lost three straight games.
Flyers 5 – Sabres 2
A 1-1 game through two periods exploded with three Flyer goals in the first 6:24 of the final stanza. Jeff Carter scored twice in that span after posting only two goals in his previous 12 games. Scott Hartnell also had two for Philly (36-19-10), winners of two in a row and eight out of 12. The Flyers remain three points clear of Montreal for fourth in the Eastern Conference, while Buffalo (33-27-7) remains in 10th place, three points behind the idle Rangers.
Penguins 4 – Panthers 3 SO
The Panthers built a 3-1 lead through periods in Pittsburgh, but Jordan Staal and Sidney Crosby scored early in the third to rally the home team. Kris Letang and Evgeni Malkin then scored in the shootout to give the Penguins (36-26-6) their seventh straight win – that’s their longest run in over a year. The win pushed Pittsburgh past the Panthers (34-24-9) into sixth place in the conference.
Canadiens 4 – Oilers 3 OT
Montreal captain Saku Koivu tied this game late in the third period, then won it with a power-play goal 1:40 into overtime at the Bell Centre, a dramatic conclusion to Bob Gainey’s first game in place of Guy Carbonneau. The Canadiens (36-24-7) pick up their sixth win in eight outings, but remain fifth in the Eastern Conference. Andrew Cogliano, Sheldon Souray and Sam Gagner scored for Edmonton, all in the second period. The Oilers (32-27-7) are still one point ahead of Nashville for seventh out West.
Red Wings 3 – Coyotes 2 OT
Johan Franzen got the game-winner Tuesday night in Detroit, his 27th marker of the year. Valtteri Filppula had a goal and an assist and Ty Conklin turned away 23 Phoenix shots as the Red Wings (44-15-8) won for the fifth time in six home games. Detroit remains tied with San Jose for the Western Conference lead, and the two are one point behind Boston for the best overall record. The Coyotes, meanwhile, are now 1-6 over their last seven contests.
Sharks 5 – Wild 4 OT
For the second time in less than a week, the Sharks squandered a 3-0 lead against the Wild. But this time in St. Paul, San Jose earned the win thanks to Christian Ehrhoff’s OT tally. Owen Nolan scored twice in the last 6:04 of regulation to force the extra period. As we just discussed, the Sharks (43-12-10) stayed tied for Detroit for the conference’s top spot, while Minnesota (32-28-6) stays out of the playoff picture, in ninth place – one point behind Nashville.
Capitals 2 – Predators 1 OT
Washington’s four-game skid ended Tuesday night in Nashville when Sergei Fedorov’s backhander beat Pekka Rinne 2:20 into overtime. Missing out on the second point kept the Predators (33-29-5) in eighth in the West.
Maple Leafs 3 – Islanders 2 OT
Mikhail Grabovski’s first goal in 18 games kept the Islanders from losing another point in the John Tavares hunt. The Maple Leaf forward beat Joey MacDonald 50 seconds into overtime for his 13th tally of the year. The Fish Sticks left Toronto with 52 points, three less than idle Tampa Bay.
Blues 5 -- Stars 2
Three first period goals propelled the Blues (30-28-8) to an easy home win Tuesday night. David Perron scored twice for St. Louis, which is now 11th in the West with 68 points. Dallas (31-28-8) is two points better than that, in 10th place.
Thrashers 3 -- Avalanche 0
Kari Lehtonen made 35 saves for his second shutout in three starts Tuesday in Denver. Atlanta improves to 8-4-1 over its last 13 games thanks to goals from Zach Bogosian, Todd White, and Rich Peverley.
IN OTHER NEWS…
Montreal tough guy Georges Laraque is worried about the fighting conversation GMs are having this week in Florida during their annual meetings. Managers want the existing instigator penalty called more frequently and want to implement a 10-minute misconduct for an altercation the referee deems staged. Laraque says the ideas are the “stupidest thing ever”. He fears that the new misconduct penalty would eliminate the job of true enforcers.
Gary Roberts officially retired Tuesday after 21 NHL seasons with Calgary, Carolina, Toronto, Florida, Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay. The announcement was expected since Roberts went unclaimed on the waiver wire. Roberts, 42, scored 438 goals and racked up 2,560 penalty minutes. He played in three All-Star Games and won the Stanley Cup in 1989 with the Flames.
Blackhawks winger Martin Havlat did not practice Tuesday because of an undisclosed lower body injury. The team will only say that Havlat is day-to-day.
WEDNESDAY'S SCHEDULE
Tampa Bay @ Ottawa 7:00pm ET
Carolina @ Chicago 8:30pm ET
Vancouver @ Anaheim 10:00pm ET (Game of the Night)
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