FTS - 3/20/09

(Photo Credit: AP)

OVECHKIN’S 50TH GOAL GIVES CAPS 45TH WIN

Alex Ovechkin reached the 50-goal plateau for the third time in his four-year career in Thursday night’s 5-2 defeat of the Lightning. Ovechkin scored the first goal of the night, then set up two of the Capitals’ three third period tallies. The victory jumped the Caps into the second place in the Eastern Conference, four points behind Boston. Washington (45-22-6) has beaten Tampa Bay nine straight times, scoring at least four times in each of the last six. The Lightning (23-33-15) have also dropped five straight overall and eight of nine at home.

Kings 3 – Bruins 2 OT

The latest bump in the Bruins’ road to the Eastern Conference title is a blown 2-0 lead on home ice. Michal Handzus and Drew Doughty scored in the final 11:10 of regulation to force overtime, and then Dustin Brown won it for Los Angeles with 35 seconds left in extra time. The Kings (30-30-10) remains barely alive in the Western Conference playoff chase – they are seven points behind 8th-place Nashville, but have four teams between them and the Predators. The Bruins (45-17-10), meanwhile, are now just 6-9-4 in their last 19 outings. Goalie Tim Thomas says, “Whether we’re on the road or at home, teams are coming up against us and it’s almost like they’ve got the upper hand already because they’re the more confident team.”

Senators 5 – Canadiens 4

Another shaky outing from Carey Price extended Montreal’s losing streak to four games and kept the Canadiens (36-26-9) in a tie with Carolina for the final two playoff spots in the Eastern Conference. Price allowed four goals on 15 shots over the game’s first 23 minutes. Jason Spezza scored twice, while Daniel Alfredsson had one and an assist for the Senators (30-30-10), winners of three straight and seven of eight. Goalie Brian Elliott made 28 saves for his franchise-rookie-record seventh consecutive decision.

Panthers 3 – Maple Leafs 1

Florida put an end to its four-game losing streak Thursday behind a shorthanded goal from Stephen Weiss and 37 saves from Tomas Vokoun. The victory pushed the Panthers within one point of 8th-place Carolina and gave them their first season-sweep of Toronto (29-30-13) since the 1995-96 season. David Booth added two assists for Florida (35-26-10).

Oilers 8 – Avalanche 1

Edmonton kept itself in the Western Conference playoff picture Thursday night in Denver with an offense explosion. Sophomore Sam Gagner recorded the first hat trick of his career, and Ethan Moreau, Shawn Horcoff, Fernando Pisani, Ales Kotalik and Sheldon Souray also scored in the Avs’ worst home loss since leaving Quebec. Edmonton (34-27-9) remains tied with Nashville for the final two spots out West, but has two games in-hand on the Predators.

Sharks 3 – Predators 2 SO

Jonathan Cheechoo hasn’t scored in regulation in 13 games, but he picked up his second shootout winner at home in six days Thursday night against Nashville. The former Richard Trophy winner beat Pekka Rinne up high with a pretty backhand to move San Jose (46-14-10) within one point of conference-leading Detroit. The Preds’ point keeps them even with Edmonton for the 7th and 8th spots in the West.

Canucks 3 – Blues 0

Robert Luongo made 30 saves for his first shutout in four months Thursday at GM Place against St. Louis. Vancouver’s home winning streak is now a franchise-record 11 games. Luongo kept the Canucks in the game over the first 30 minutes as the Blues outshot them, 18-4. Alexandre Burrows, Mason Raymond and Henrik Sedin scored once the Vancouver offense kicked in. The Canucks are now 16-3-1 over their last 20 games, good enough to overtake Chicago for 4th place out West. The Blues (32-30-9) are four points from 8th place.

Ducks 3 – Coyotes 2 SO

There is now a three-way tie for 9th place in the Western Conference after this skills competition decision for Anaheim. Bobby Ryan beat Ilya Bryzgalov in the fifth round of the shootout to earn the Ducks (34-31-6) the second point. They join idle Dallas and Minnesota in looking up at Nashville and Edmonton. Zbynek Michalek and Matt Lombardi scored for the Coyotes (29-35-7).


IN OTHER NEWS…

Martin Brodeur’s buzz from setting the all-time wins record Tuesday night took a hit Thursday when a New Jersey appeals court ordered him to pay his ex-wife $500,000 per year until 2020. Brodeur appealed the original ruling, asking to support his ex only until the end of his career.

The latest Shark with injury issues is left wing Ryane Clowe. He will miss at least a week after lower body surgery. Clowe was apparently hurt Tuesday night against Phoenix.

The Islanders signed tough guy Tim Jackman to a one-year extension Thursday – financial terms were not disclosed. In 57 games this year, Jackson has four goals, 2 assists and 133 PIM.

FRIDAY’S SCHEDULE:
Islanders @ Hurricanes 7:00pm ET
Wild @ Devils 7:00
Flyers @ Sabres 7:30
Kings @ Penguins 7:30
Red Wings @ Thrashers 7:30
Oilers @ Blackhawks 8:30 (Game of the Night)
Blues @ Flames 9:00

Dropping the Gloves w/ Andrew Bogusch

WHO'S THE BEST GOALIE OF ALL-TIME?
Brodeur, Roy, Sawchuk, Plante or...

The all-time wins record now belongs to Martin Brodeur. He will soon add the shutout and games played marks to his résumé as well. On top of those accomplishments, there are three Stanley Cups, four Vezina Trophies (including the last two), one Calder Trophy, nine All-Star Game appearances, and four first-team All-NHL selections.

That’s enough to make a lifelong Ranger fan say Brodeur is an OK goaltender. But should the most objective of us be calling Brodeur the greatest netminder ever because of his exploits?

Let’s begin with his competition for the title. Patrick Roy, the man whose record Brodeur broke Tuesday night in Newark against the Blackhawks, owns four Stanley Cups and three Vezinas.

Terry Sawchuk held the wins record until Roy came along and is about to lose the shutout title to Brodeur. He won the Cup and the Vezina four times apiece, and has a career 2.52 GAA. Five times Sawchuk led the League in victories. And during the 1952 playoffs, he went 8-0 with four shutouts (five goals against total) to lead the Red Wings to the championship.

Jacques Plante’s 437 regular season decisions have him 6^th all-time, 10 behind Sawchuk. His trophy case includes six Vezinas, a Hart Memorial Trophy, and six Cups, including five straight. And we cannot overlook what he did for goalie safety by being the first to don a mask.

Glenn Hall is called “Mr.Goalie” because of 407 wins and a 2.49 GAA. He originated the butterfly that Roy and Brodeur made commonplace. Hall won the Cup in Chicago in 1961 and the Conn Smythe as a Blue in ’68 despite a Canadien sweep because his play gave the severely overwhelmed Blues a chance in each game. But Hall’s greatest accomplishment is the 502 consecutive (full!) games he played from ’55-’62.

There might not be a more difficult comparison to make in sports than goalies of the current era versus their Original Six counterparts. The grainy images of Sawchuk, Plante and Hall show un-imposing, unmasked figures facing shots that rarely came in above the knees. They flailed and they flopped. There was no “playing the angle”. There were no John Leclair’s or Tomas Holmstrom’s screening them from and redirecting 95-mile-per-hour slapshots.

Which is why this debate comes down to Brodeur and Roy – with all due respect to the men that came before them. There is no doubt that these two would be just as successful 40-50 years ago. So let’s try to pick our winner…

Roy wins the Stanley Cup comparison, four rings to three, although the Devils are certainly capable of pulling Brodeur even this spring. Brodeur did blank the Ducks three times during the 2003 Finals, but Roy won an unbelievable 10 consecutive overtime games during the Canadiens’ 1993 championship run and owns a record three Conn Smythe trophies.

Brodeur has clinched the Vezina category with one more win and more time to add one or two more. That extra time and the more opportunities for a W the shootout provides means Brodeur will finish his career well clear of Roy in the win column. And Brodeur is running away with the goals-against competition, 2.20 to 2.54.

The NHL implemented rules to negate the unique puckhandling skills of Brodeur (and others). Roy popularized the now-ubiquitous butterfly style, inspiring a legion of Canadian goalies along the way.

We could continue with more paragraphs on each, but that would only prolong this back-and-forth. There is little to separate one from the other. Roy, though, deserves the nod as of today. A goalie earns his check in the postseason, and one more Cup and those three Conn Smythes make Roy the best goaltender of all-time.

Sorry, Marty…for now.

* * *

One last Brodeur thought…I’ve tried to see the positives of ESPN’s hockey coverage, especially since the League needs to be back on the Worldwide Leader. But Tuesday night’s SportsCenter was a joke. As excited as Team USA’s last at-bat defeat of Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic was, it was not the lead story of the night. An ultimately meaningless, glorified exhibition game is not more significant than a major record in a major sport being broken.

As always, please direct all comments, thoughts and critiques to boguschhockey@gmail.com

Wednesday in the NHL

photo credit: AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Jeff McIntosh

FLAMES SURVIVE STARS THANKS TO UNLIKELY HEROES
JOKINEN POINTLESS IN HOME DEBUT

Jamie Lundmark and Eric Nystrom scored for the Flames as they held off Dallas Wednesday night in Calgary. Nystrom got the game-winner at 11:46 of the third period off a Fabian Brunnstrom turnover and a Dustin Boyd pass. It was just the fourth goal of the year and first in 14 games for Bobby's son. Miika Kiprusoff needed to make only 18 saves for his league-leading 41st victory. The Flames (41-23-6) able to push their Northwest Division lead to five points over the Canucks. The Stars (33-30-8) remain 9th in the Western Conference, one point behind Edmonton.

Hurricanes 4 -- Devils 2

Martin Brodeur got Wednesday off after setting the all-time wins record the night before. Kevin Weekes could not get the W in relief in Raleigh, giving up two goals to Anton Babchuk and one to Eric Staal. New Jersey's 4-game winning streak and Carolina's 3-game losing streak are now history. Zach Parise (#40) and Brian Gionta scored for the Devils (46-21-3). The Hurricanes (37-28-7) remained tied with Montreal for the final two playoff spots in the Eastern Conference.

Blue Jackets 4 -- Blackhawks 3 OT

Antoine Vermette's tally 2:38 into overtime kept Chicago in a funk Wednesday night in Columbus. The Blackhawks (37-22-10) have now dropped four straight and six of seven, while the Blue Jackets (37-28-6) tie a franchise record with their 80th point. The goal means Vermette has a point in five of six games since a deadline deal with Ottawa. Chicago is still one point ahead of idle Vancouver for the final home ice slot in round one. Columbus sits sixth in the conference, four points behind the Hawks, who got goals from Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews. Rick Nash, R.J. Umberger, and Derek Dorsett also scored for the Jackets.

Ducks 4 -- Predators 3 OT

Teemu Selanne got the Ducks the all important second point against Nashville Wednesday night with a power-play marker 34 seconds into overtime in Anaheim. Vernon Fiddler was in the penalty box for tripping Chris Pronger in the final minute of regulation. The win helps the Ducks gain ground on Edmonton, whom they now trail by three points for the final Western Conference playoff spot. The one point puts the Predators (35-30-6) into sole possession of 7th place.

IN OTHER NEWS...

Guy Carbonneau met with Montreal reporters Wednesday afternoon for the first time since being fired as Canadiens head coach. On his 49th birthday, Carbonneau said he was angry with and shocked by Bob Gainey's decision. "I thought we were going in the right direction, despite the fact that we were struggling for a while," Carbonneau stated.

Vancouver Canucks GM Mike Gillis admits that contract talks with the agent for the Sedin twins have hit an impasse. Gillis told a local radio station that negotiations are being put on hold until the offseason so as not to be a distraction as the Canucks push toward the playoffs. Henrik and Daniel are reportedly looking for five-year deals worth $6.5 million annually. The team's latest counter-proposal was for 3-4 years and $5.5 million per season.

The Blackhawks have activated center Sami Pahlsson off injured reserve and he should make his Chicago debut Thursday against Columbus. Pahlsson hasn't played since being trade from Anaheim at the deadline because of mononucleosis.

THURSDAY'S SCHEDULE

Los Angeles @ Boston 7:00pm ET
Montreal @ Ottawa 7:30
Washington @ Tampa Bay 7:30
Toronto @ Florida 7:30
Edmonton @ Colorado 9:00
St. Louis @ Vancouver 10:00
Anaheim @ Phoenix 10:00
Nashville @ San Jose 10:30

FTS - 3/17/09

TOP STORY

Predator Uprising!

Ryan Jones scores the winner late for Nashville at the Staples Center to surge in to 7th in the West

(Photo Credit: Getty Images)

Nashville Predators (35-30-5) over the Los Angeles (29-30-10) 4-3
The Nashville Predators strengthened their playoff hopes and damaged the Los Angeles Kings' chances of reaching the postseason. Ryan Jones scored the go-ahead goal with 2:18 remaining, Steve Sullivan and Shea Weber also scored, and Joel Ward had a goal and an assist in the Predators' 4-3 victory over the fading Kings on Monday night. "We've got two games left on this road trip, and we're trying to set ourselves up so that it doesn't come down to Game 82 and all the pressure to try to get in with one game left," Sullivan said. With their eighth victory in 11 games, the Predators overtook Dallas and Edmonton in the Western Conference playoff race and moved into seventh place. They are a point ahead of the Stars, and lead the ninth-place Oilers by two with 12 games remaining. Dallas has a game in hand on Nashville, and Edmonton has two. Anze Kopitar, Teddy Purcell and Michal Handzus scored for the Kings, who have lost three straight. Los Angeles will bring a six-game road losing streak into Boston on Thursday, starting a six-game trip that probably will decide their playoff chances. The 13th-place Kings are six points behind eighth-place Dallas with 13 games remaining. The Predators have a chance to sweep the four-game season series on March 28 at Nashville. The Kings have never been swept by the Predators since Nashville entered the NHL in 1998-99.

ACTION FROM AROUND THE LEAGUE...

Atlanta Thrashers (43-22-6) over the Washington Capitals (29-35-6) 5-1

The Thrashers set a franchise record with their sixth straight victory after G Kari Lehtonen turned away a career-high 49 saves, including stopping all 10 of Alexander Ovechkin's shots. Colby Armstrong, Slava Kozlov (PPG), Anssi Salmela (PPG - recently acquired from NJ), Tobias Enstrom (PPG) and Eric Perrin all scored for Atlanta. Playing his 190th straight game, Kozlov tied former Thrashers C Bobby Holik for the longest streak in the team's 10-year history. Kozlov has 17 points, including two goals, in his last 17 games. Atlanta D Ron Hainsey sustained a leg injury and didn't return.

OTHER HEADLINES

-Buffalo Sabres starting goalie Ryan Miller has begun skating on his own to test his injured left ankle and is confident he is on track to return to the lineup before the end of the season. Miller said on Monday that he still feels some discomfort when he's stretching, but he has not experienced any setbacks during his rehabilitation. "I fully expect to play. That's what's in my head," said Miller, who has worked out on his own the past two days. "Without any setbacks, it's very likely we're not going to have any problems." Miller said he'll continue increasing his on-ice time through the week, but it was too early to provide a timetable for when he might be cleared to practice. Complicating the injury is the fact it involves the same part of the ankle he relies on for his butterfly goaltending style. Miller has missed nine games since being hurt in the third period of a 4-2 win over the Rangers on Feb. 21, when he fell awkwardly into the end board after being upended by New York's Scott Gomez. The Sabres have gone 3-4-2 without Miller, and sit in 10th place in the Eastern Conference, three points out of a playoff spot with 13 games left.

-Washington Capitals defenseman Brian Pothier played his first game in more than 14 months Monday night after recovering from a career-threatening concussion. Pothier, an eight-year NHL veteran, was injured when Bruins forward Milan Lucic checked him into the boards on Jan. 3, 2008, in Boston. Pothier, whose hooking penalty in the first period Monday led to Slava Kozlov's goal and a 2-0 lead for Atlanta, took three shots and blocked a shot in the Thrashers' 5-1 win. The Capitals, who signed Pothier to a four-year, $10 million contract as a free agent in July 2006, was recalled Sunday from a short stint with AHL Hershey.

-The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed forward Chris DiDomenico to a three-year entry level contract, the club announced Saturday. DiDomenico, a 20-year-old native of Toronto was selected by the Leafs in the sixth round (164th overall) in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft. "Chris is a skilled offensive player that plays with a lot of grit," said president and GM Brian Burke. "He has shown the ability to compete and produce at a high level and we're looking forward to his further growth and development in our organization." He suited up in one Maple Leafs pre-season game on Sept. 26, 2008, collecting two penalty minutes in 12:11 of ice time against Pittsburgh. In 50 games this season with the QMJHL's Saint John Sea Dogs and Drummondville Voltigeurs, the 5-11, 176-pounder registered 58 points (18 goals, 40 assists) with 62 penalty minutes and a plus 16 rating. DiDomenico won a gold medal with Team Canada at the 2009 World Junior Hockey Championships in Ottawa.

TONIGHTS ACTION:
%Chicago @ New Jersey - 7PM
Martin Brodeur goes for the all time goalie wins record

Philadelphia @ Detroit - 7:30PM
NY Rangers @ Montreal - 7:30PM
Buffalo @ Ottawa - 7:30PM
Atlanta @ Pittsburgh - 7:30PM
Toronto @ Tampa Bay - 7:30PM
Washington @ Florida - 7:30PM
Colorado @ Minnesota - 8PM
St. Louis @ Edmonton - 10PM
Dallas @ Vancouver - 10PM
San Jose @ Phoenix - 10PM

% = 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

HAPPY ST PATTY'S DAY!!

Sunday on the Ice

photo credit: AP Photos

RED WINGS BLANK JACKETS, MAKE NHL HISTORY
OSGOOD RECORDS 49TH CAREER SHUTOUT

The Detroit Red Wings added another milestone to their storied franchise with Sunday night’s 4-0 defeat of the Blue Jackets in Columbus. The victory gave the Motowners 101 points for the season – they are the first team with nine straight 100-point campaigns. Osgood turned away 23 shots for the shutout and Johan Franzen scored his career-high 28th goal of the year. The Blue Jackets (36-28-6), meanwhile, saw their 4-game overall winning streak and 3-game run on home ice come to an end. Columbus remains 6th in the Western Conference, three points behind Vancouver.

Canucks 4 – Avalanche 2

That’s a franchise-record-tying nine straight home victories for Vancouver. First period goals from Kyle Wellwood, Alexandre Burrows and Taylor Pyatt set the tone for the Canucks (36-23-9). Ryan Kesler added three assists. This run at GM Place comes immediately after a 9-game skid there. Since snapping that slump, Vancouver is 14-3-1 overall, which has pushed them to 5th in the West, just two points behind slumping Chicago.

Islanders 4 – Blackhawks 2

Chicago outshot the Islanders, 42-19, Sunday at United Center, but Peter Mannino stopped 40 of those shots as New York improved to 6-2-1 over its last nine games. Mark Streit had 2 goals and an assist, all on the power-play, where the Isles went 3-for-7 on the night. The Blackhawks (37-21-9) remain 4th out West, but have dropped four of five.

Sharks 1 – Ducks 0

San Jose joined Detroit at the 100-point plateau on the strength of Evgeni Nabokov’s 6th shutout of the season (34 saves). The Sharks (45-13-10) also clinched a playoff spot with this decision. Travis Moen scored the only goal of the night after a video tribute was played before the game for the former Duck. Anaheim (32-31-6) is 2-4-1 over its last seven games to remain outside the playoff picture. Three points and three teams separate the Ducks from 8th-place Edmonton.

Blues 5 – Wild 3

After losing 5-2 to Detroit Saturday, the Blues responded with three power-play goals to beat Minnesota Sunday at Scottrade Center. Keith Tkachuk and David Perron scored on a two-man advantage in the second period to put St. Louis ahead for good. The Blues and Wild are now an identical 32-29-8 (72 points), tied for 10th in the West, one point from the 8th spot.

Penguins 6 – Bruins 4

Four third period goals helped Pittsburgh jump idle Montreal for 5th place in the Eastern Conference. The Penguins (37-26-8) trailed the Bruins 2-1 and 3-2 before beating them for just the second time in six meetings. Pittsburgh now has points in its last 10 games, (8-0-2). Boston (45-17-9) was unable to reach the 100-point mark like Detroit and San Jose.

Rangers 4 – Flyers 1

The Rangers earned a split of a weekend home-and-home with the Flyers thanks to three man-advantage goals, two of which came from Sean Avery. The pesky left-winger has scored in three straight games (4 total tallies) as the Blueshirts (36-26-8) get within four points of 4th-place Philadelphia. This was John Tortorella’s 244th career decision, tying him with Peter Laviolette for the lead among American coaches. Simon Gagne scored the only goal for the Flyers (37-21-10).

IN OTHER NEWS…

Just in case you weren’t paying attention Saturday night, Martin Brodeur and the Devils beat the Canadiens in Montreal. With Patrick Roy in attendance, Brodeur tied #33’s record for most career victories (551). He can make the record his own Tuesday night at home against Chicago.

The Capitals recalled defenseman Brian Pothier from AHL affiliate Hershey Sunday. The 31-year-old hasn’t played an NHL game in 14 months because of a concussion and its aftereffects. Pothier has dealt with headaches, dizziness and vision problems.

Rangers GM Glen Sather has posted $1 million bail for former Oilers owner Peter Pocklington. He is scheduled to go on trial May 5th on two counts of bankruptcy fraud.

MONDAY’S SCHEDULE

Washington @ Atlanta 7:00pm ET
Nashville @ Los Angeles 10:30pm ET (Game of the Night)