TOP STORY
BOSTON WRAPS UP THE NORTHEAST
Tim Thomas makes 41 saves to beat the Devils and clinch the Northwest Title
(Photo Credit: Reuters)
Boston Bruins (46-17-10) over the New Jersey Devils (47-22-3) 4-1
The Bruins got goals from Michael Ryder (PPG), Chuck Kobasew, Marc Savard (PPG) and Milan Lucic to help them to there first division title since the 2003-04 season. "Lately we've been wasting a lot of energy just thinking about getting the win and forgetting how to get the win," Claude Julien (Bruins head coach) said after Boston's 4-1 victory. "If you play well enough, the outcome would take care of itself." The Bruins are 22-0-0 when they lead by three goals. The Devils lost for just the third time in their last 11 games.
ACTION FROM AROUND THE LEAGUE...
Philadelphia Flyers (39-22-10) over the Pittsburgh Panthers (39-27-8) 3-1
Philly picked up just its second win in its last twelve trips to the Steel City thanks to power play goals from Simon Gagne and Scott Hartnell. Despite the loss, the Pens are now 12-2-3 under new head coach Dan Bylsma. Philadelphia won its second in a row to open a two-point lead over Pittsburgh in the race for the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference and home-ice advantage in the first round.
Chicago Blackhawks (38-22-11) over the Los Angeles Kings (30-20-10) 4-1
Patrick Sharp made his presence felt in his first game back in the lineup by scoring two goals and an assist to help the Blackhawks snap a five game winless streak. Sharp had been out since 2/13 with a knee injury. Winger Martin Havlat also had two goals. Chicago D Cam Barker sat out with an undisclosed injury.
Minnesota Wild (34-30-8) over the Edmonton Oilers (35-28-9) 3-0
Wild G Nicklas Backstrom made 31 saves for his 7th shutout of the season and Owen Nolan scored two goals to move Minnesota within a point of 8th place Nashville. The Oilers are 0-8-2 in their past 10 visits to St. Paul and are two points ahead of the Predators for 7th place in the West. Marian Gaborik returned to the Minnesota lineup but Mikko Koivu was pulled down by Edmonton's Ales Kotalik in the first period and suffered a knee injury. He left the team bench in the second period and did not return. Wild coach Jacques Leamire did not sound optimistic after the game. "Losing him, it's a huge loss for our team. I'm waiting for more news. More good news."
Ottawa Senators (32-30-10) over the New York Rangers (38-27-8) 2-1
Mike Comrie and Ryan Shannon scored for Ottawa to continue the Senators late season playoff surge. "You lose one game here and there, and mathematically you could be out of it," captain Daniel Alfredsson said. "Our approach is to just win every game and keep this positive thing going." G Alex Auld made 28 saves for the Sens. Rangers D Michal Rozsival appeared to injure his left leg when hit by Ottawa's Shean Donovan early in the second period and didn't return.
San Jose Sharks (48-14-10) over the Colorado Avalanche (31-40-2) 3-1
Sharks winger Michalek converted a slick setup pass from defenseman Alexei Semenov, and Evgeni Nabokov made 31 saves while the Sharks moved past Detroit again atop the league standings with their third home victory in four days.
Anaheim Ducks (35-31-6) over the Phoenix Coyotes (30-36-7) 6-2
Ryan Getzlaf scored twice with the man advantage in the third period, Scott Niedermayer and rookie Andrew Ebbett also had power-play goals, and the Ducks beat the Phoenix Coyotes 6-2 on Sunday night for their fourth victory in five games.The four power-play goals tied a franchise record for the Ducks, who climbed within a point of Nashville for the eighth and final Western Conference playoff spot and remained tied with Minnesota.
OTHER HEADLINES
-Stars center Brad Richards returned to the Dallas lineup Saturday after missing 15 games because of a wrist injury, but the former playoff MVP then broke his other hand in the third period of a 5-2 loss to San Jose. He's out indefinitely with a spiral fracture in his left hand, dealing another heavy blow to the Stars' fading playoff hopes. The eighth-year pro is the team's third-leading scorer with 48 points despite his five-week absence. "That's not good news," Dallas coach Dave Tippett said. "You just have to get back at it and find a way to get points." Richards had a minus-2 rating in just over 15 minutes against the Sharks while playing on a line with Loui Eriksson and Brendan Morrison. The Stars didn't say when or how the latest injury occurred, but Richards skated across the Shark Tank ice to the visitors' dressing room midway through the third period. Richards had 16 goals and 32 assists in 55 games this season before breaking his wrist during a game at Columbus on Feb. 16. Richards didn't undergo surgery, allowing the bone to heal on its own, and pushed to return to the lineup about one week before the training staff's projection. The Stars probably will have to make their playoff push with no offensive help from Richards, who still leads the team with 179 shots.
-Tomas Kaberle will have to wait a little longer to get back into the Toronto Maple Leafs lineup. Coach Ron Wilson said Saturday his top defenceman will need another week to heal his injured right hand. Kaberle, who had the hand x-rayed on Friday, had hoped to play Saturday night against the Montreal Canadiens. "It's not caution, he's not ready to play, so he'll be out probably until next Saturday," Wilson said. The veteran defenceman said he hopes to return sooner than that, and is already looking at a home game Tuesday night against Washington. "Obviously, we still have a little issue there and the doctor said it's not worth it to take the chance," Kaberle said. "The Tuesday game is three or four days away, so that's when we can look at it and hopefully play. "I'm just hoping it's Tuesday. As long as I play before the end of the season, I'll feel good about it." Kaberle has missed eight games since he injured the hand March 3 in a game against New Jersey.
-The NHL has suspended Chicago Blackhawks forward Ben Eager three games for a hit to the head of Edmonton's Liam Reddox in Friday night's game. The incident occurred in the third period of the Oilers' 5-4 win over the Blackhawks. Reddox had to be helped from the ice after the play, but no penalty was assessed by the officials. This is Eager's second suspension of the season. Back on Oct. 8, he was given another three-game ban for swinging his stick from the bench at then-Dallas Star player Sean Avery. Eager will be eligible to return to Chicago's lineup next Sunday against Vancouver.
-Former NHL forward Walt Poddubny died suddenly on Saturday. Poddubny had been living in Thunder Bay, Ontario, and a source close to the family told the Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal the 49-year-old collapsed on Saturday morning. The cause of death is unknown. Poddubny had stints with the Edmonton Oilers, Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers, Quebec Nordiques and New Jersey Devils over his 11 NHL seasons. He had 422 points (184 goals, 238 assists) in 468 career NHL games.
BOSTON WRAPS UP THE NORTHEAST
Tim Thomas makes 41 saves to beat the Devils and clinch the Northwest Title
(Photo Credit: Reuters)
Boston Bruins (46-17-10) over the New Jersey Devils (47-22-3) 4-1
The Bruins got goals from Michael Ryder (PPG), Chuck Kobasew, Marc Savard (PPG) and Milan Lucic to help them to there first division title since the 2003-04 season. "Lately we've been wasting a lot of energy just thinking about getting the win and forgetting how to get the win," Claude Julien (Bruins head coach) said after Boston's 4-1 victory. "If you play well enough, the outcome would take care of itself." The Bruins are 22-0-0 when they lead by three goals. The Devils lost for just the third time in their last 11 games.
ACTION FROM AROUND THE LEAGUE...
Philadelphia Flyers (39-22-10) over the Pittsburgh Panthers (39-27-8) 3-1
Philly picked up just its second win in its last twelve trips to the Steel City thanks to power play goals from Simon Gagne and Scott Hartnell. Despite the loss, the Pens are now 12-2-3 under new head coach Dan Bylsma. Philadelphia won its second in a row to open a two-point lead over Pittsburgh in the race for the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference and home-ice advantage in the first round.
Chicago Blackhawks (38-22-11) over the Los Angeles Kings (30-20-10) 4-1
Patrick Sharp made his presence felt in his first game back in the lineup by scoring two goals and an assist to help the Blackhawks snap a five game winless streak. Sharp had been out since 2/13 with a knee injury. Winger Martin Havlat also had two goals. Chicago D Cam Barker sat out with an undisclosed injury.
Minnesota Wild (34-30-8) over the Edmonton Oilers (35-28-9) 3-0
Wild G Nicklas Backstrom made 31 saves for his 7th shutout of the season and Owen Nolan scored two goals to move Minnesota within a point of 8th place Nashville. The Oilers are 0-8-2 in their past 10 visits to St. Paul and are two points ahead of the Predators for 7th place in the West. Marian Gaborik returned to the Minnesota lineup but Mikko Koivu was pulled down by Edmonton's Ales Kotalik in the first period and suffered a knee injury. He left the team bench in the second period and did not return. Wild coach Jacques Leamire did not sound optimistic after the game. "Losing him, it's a huge loss for our team. I'm waiting for more news. More good news."
Ottawa Senators (32-30-10) over the New York Rangers (38-27-8) 2-1
Mike Comrie and Ryan Shannon scored for Ottawa to continue the Senators late season playoff surge. "You lose one game here and there, and mathematically you could be out of it," captain Daniel Alfredsson said. "Our approach is to just win every game and keep this positive thing going." G Alex Auld made 28 saves for the Sens. Rangers D Michal Rozsival appeared to injure his left leg when hit by Ottawa's Shean Donovan early in the second period and didn't return.
San Jose Sharks (48-14-10) over the Colorado Avalanche (31-40-2) 3-1
Sharks winger Michalek converted a slick setup pass from defenseman Alexei Semenov, and Evgeni Nabokov made 31 saves while the Sharks moved past Detroit again atop the league standings with their third home victory in four days.
Anaheim Ducks (35-31-6) over the Phoenix Coyotes (30-36-7) 6-2
Ryan Getzlaf scored twice with the man advantage in the third period, Scott Niedermayer and rookie Andrew Ebbett also had power-play goals, and the Ducks beat the Phoenix Coyotes 6-2 on Sunday night for their fourth victory in five games.The four power-play goals tied a franchise record for the Ducks, who climbed within a point of Nashville for the eighth and final Western Conference playoff spot and remained tied with Minnesota.
OTHER HEADLINES
-Stars center Brad Richards returned to the Dallas lineup Saturday after missing 15 games because of a wrist injury, but the former playoff MVP then broke his other hand in the third period of a 5-2 loss to San Jose. He's out indefinitely with a spiral fracture in his left hand, dealing another heavy blow to the Stars' fading playoff hopes. The eighth-year pro is the team's third-leading scorer with 48 points despite his five-week absence. "That's not good news," Dallas coach Dave Tippett said. "You just have to get back at it and find a way to get points." Richards had a minus-2 rating in just over 15 minutes against the Sharks while playing on a line with Loui Eriksson and Brendan Morrison. The Stars didn't say when or how the latest injury occurred, but Richards skated across the Shark Tank ice to the visitors' dressing room midway through the third period. Richards had 16 goals and 32 assists in 55 games this season before breaking his wrist during a game at Columbus on Feb. 16. Richards didn't undergo surgery, allowing the bone to heal on its own, and pushed to return to the lineup about one week before the training staff's projection. The Stars probably will have to make their playoff push with no offensive help from Richards, who still leads the team with 179 shots.
-Tomas Kaberle will have to wait a little longer to get back into the Toronto Maple Leafs lineup. Coach Ron Wilson said Saturday his top defenceman will need another week to heal his injured right hand. Kaberle, who had the hand x-rayed on Friday, had hoped to play Saturday night against the Montreal Canadiens. "It's not caution, he's not ready to play, so he'll be out probably until next Saturday," Wilson said. The veteran defenceman said he hopes to return sooner than that, and is already looking at a home game Tuesday night against Washington. "Obviously, we still have a little issue there and the doctor said it's not worth it to take the chance," Kaberle said. "The Tuesday game is three or four days away, so that's when we can look at it and hopefully play. "I'm just hoping it's Tuesday. As long as I play before the end of the season, I'll feel good about it." Kaberle has missed eight games since he injured the hand March 3 in a game against New Jersey.
-The NHL has suspended Chicago Blackhawks forward Ben Eager three games for a hit to the head of Edmonton's Liam Reddox in Friday night's game. The incident occurred in the third period of the Oilers' 5-4 win over the Blackhawks. Reddox had to be helped from the ice after the play, but no penalty was assessed by the officials. This is Eager's second suspension of the season. Back on Oct. 8, he was given another three-game ban for swinging his stick from the bench at then-Dallas Star player Sean Avery. Eager will be eligible to return to Chicago's lineup next Sunday against Vancouver.
-Former NHL forward Walt Poddubny died suddenly on Saturday. Poddubny had been living in Thunder Bay, Ontario, and a source close to the family told the Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal the 49-year-old collapsed on Saturday morning. The cause of death is unknown. Poddubny had stints with the Edmonton Oilers, Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers, Quebec Nordiques and New Jersey Devils over his 11 NHL seasons. He had 422 points (184 goals, 238 assists) in 468 career NHL games.
TONIGHTS ACTION:
New Jersey @ Philadelphia - 7PM (Versus)
%Carolina @ Floria - 7:30PM
Detroit @ Calgary - 9:30PM
% = Game of the Night
^All Times are Eastern
~Dropping the Gloves with Andrew Bogusch comes out on Thursdays
TO EMAIL FTS, write fromtheslot@gmail.com
New Jersey @ Philadelphia - 7PM (Versus)
%Carolina @ Floria - 7:30PM
Detroit @ Calgary - 9:30PM
% = Game of the Night
^All Times are Eastern
~Dropping the Gloves with Andrew Bogusch comes out on Thursdays
TO EMAIL FTS, write fromtheslot@gmail.com
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