FTS - 4/7/09

DUE TO MANY REASONS, FTS HAS BEEN OFF THE PAST COUPLE OF DAYS. IT WILL RETURN TOMORROW AND BE READY TO ROCK EACH AND EVERY WEEKDAY THROUGH THE STANLEY CUP FINALS, AWARDS, AND DRAFT...

LAST NIGHT'S ACTION

Dany Heatley celebrates one of his two goals in the win over Montreal last night
(Photo Credit: Reuters)

Calgary Flames (45-28-6) over the Los Angeles Kings (32-36-11) 4-1
-Calgary can clinch the division tonight with a regulation win

Ottawa Senators (35-34-10) over the Montreal Canadiens (41-28-10) 3-2
-Montreal saw its streak of earning a point in five straight games (4-0-1) come to an end

Detroit Red Wings (51-19-9) over the Buffalo Sabres (38-32-9) 4-1
-Marian Hossa scored his 39th and 40th goals of the season, his eighth multi-goal game this season.

NHL STANDINGS

http://www.nhl.com/ice/standings.htm?type=CON&navid=NAVSTNMain

TONIGHTS ACTION:
NY Islanders @ Carolina - 7PM
Toronto @ New Jersey - 7PM
Montreal @ NY Rangers - 7PM
Florida @ Philadelphia - 7PM
Washington @ Atlanta - 7PM
Boston @ Ottawa - 7:30PM
Pittsburgh @ Tampa Bay - 7:30PM
Chicago @ Nashville - 8PM
Dallas @ Minnesota - 8PM (Versus)
Los Angeles @ Edmonton - 9PM
% Calgary @ Vancouver - 10PM
St. Louis @ Phoenix - 10PM
Colorado @ San Jose - 10:30PM (Versus)

% = Game of the Night
^All Times are Eastern

We'll have the playoff scenarios for you tomorrow as well

~Dropping the Gloves with Andrew Bogusch comes out on Thursdays

TO EMAIL FTS, write fromtheslot@gmail.com

FTS -- Wednesday's NHL Recap

photo credit: AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar

DEVILS LOSE AGAIN, PENS KEEP WINNING
CROSBY AND MALKIN OVERWHELM BRODEUR

Lou Lamoriello is doing all he can to keep his fingers off the panic button in New Jersey after his team’s 6-1 smackdown in Pittsburgh Wednesday night. The Devils (47-26-4) are now 0-5-1 in their last six outings and trail the Capitals by three points for the #2-seed in the Eastern Conference. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin scored power-play goals for the Penguins (42-27-8) as they wrapped up an eight-game homestand at 6-1-1. Pittsburgh is 13-1-2 in all arenas since February 25, which has them tied with Philadelphia for 4th-place in the conference.

Capitals 5 – Islanders 3

Washington overcame a 2-0 deficit on home ice Wednesday night to put itself on the verge of a second straight Southeast Division title. The Capitals (47-23-7) clinch the crown if Carolina loses Thursday to the Rangers. Mike Green keyed the comeback on this night with power-play goals 83 seconds apart in the third period. Alexander Ovechkin added his 54th tally of the season as the Caps swept a season series with the Islanders for the first time since 2002-03.

Maple Leafs 3 – Flyers 2

Curtis Joseph made 32 saves, but only a handful were tough shots as Toronto outworked Philadelphia Wednesday night at the ACC. Jamal Mayers, Lee Stempniak and Ian White scored for the Maple Leafs. Arron Asham and Claude Giroux scored for the Flyers (41-25-10), who are now tied with Pittsburgh for 4th in the Eastern Conference.

Thrashers 3 – Sabres 2 OT

Ilya Kovalchuk scored off a Thomas Vanek giveaway with 29.9 seconds left in overtime to deal a significant blow to Buffalo’s playoff hopes. The Sabres (37-30-9) are five points behind 8th-place Montreal with six games to play. Kovalchuk’s goal gave him 41 for the season; 30 in his last 37 games; and 20 in 21.

Blackhawks 3 – Blues 1

Chicago is one point from its first playoff berth in seven seasons thanks to goals from Jonathan Toewes, Sammy Pahlsson, and Colin Fraser, and 16 Nikolai Khabibulin saves. The victory snapped a two-game slide for Chicago (41-24-11) and a five-game winning streak for St. Louis. The Blackhawks leapfrog idle Calgary for 4th in the Western Conference.
Coyotes 3 – Avalanche 0

Al Montoya made 23 saves in Denver for first NHL shutout. The effort gave the Coyotes their third win in four games. The Avalanche have dropped eight straight contests.

IN OTHER NEWS...

Joe Sakic still hopes to play before the Avalanche’s home finale April 12th. The Colorado captain is still recovering from January surgery for a herniated disc, which weakened his left leg.

The Flyers signed James van Riemsdyk to a multi-year, entry-level deal Wednesday. The deal goes into effect next season. Van Riemsdyk will spend the rest of this season with Philadelphia’s AHL affiliate.

The Maple Leafs have been fined $500,000 for paying defenseman Jonas Frogren an illegal $755,000 signing bonus last summer. That sums was too large for someone the League defined as an entry-level player. Toronto will also forfeit a 2009 4TH round draft pick as punishment.

THURSDAY’S SCHEDULE

Canadiens @ Islanders 7:00pm ET
Rangers @ Hurricanes 7:00
Senators @ Bruins 7:00
Blues @ Red Wings 7:30
Flames @ Stars 8:30
Sharks @ Oilers 9:30
Kings @ Coyotes 10:00
Ducks @ Canucks 10:00 (Game of the Night)

FTS -- Tuesday on Ice

photo credit: The Canadian Press / Paul Chiasson

KOVALEV, PRICE PUSH HABS PAST HAWKS
MONTREAL KEEPS PLAYOFF SPOT

The Canadiens woke up this morning still in 8th place in the Eastern Conference because their best players are playing their best. Alexei Kovalev beat Cristobal Huet 25 seconds into the game to extend his goal-scoring streak to four games. And Carey Price came within 7:42 of a shutout in this 4-1 defeat of the Blackhawks. Montreal (39-27-10) is unbeaten over its last four games and trails the Rangers by one point (with a game in-hand) for 7th in the East. Patrick Sharp scored the only goal for Chicago (40-24-11), which has dropped two straight. The Hawks sit 5th out West, a single point worse than Calgary.

Panthers 5 – Senators 2

This is the third consecutive win for the Panthers, but they still cannot crack the East’s Top 8. Florida trails Montreal by one point for that final playoff spot. This Panther push has been keyed by the power-play, which has connected twice in each of the last three games. In this one, Richard Zednik and Bryan McCabe scored with the man advantage. Nathan Horton, Stephen Weiss and Michal Frolik also scored for the Panthers (38-28-11), while Chris Campoli and Chris Kelly notched the Ottawa (33-33-10) goals. The loss officially eliminated the Sens from playoff contention.

Bruins 3 – Lightning 1

Boston (49-17-10) is officially back on track after registering its fourth victory in a row. Manny Fernandez made 24 saves, and Chuck Kobasew and Blake Wheeler became the team’s seventh and eighth 20-goal scorers. Zdeno Chara scored as well for the Bruins; it was the 17th of his season, which ties his career-high.

Blue Jackets 2 – Predators 1

Columbus is now 11-0-0 this season when Raffi Torres finds the back of the net. The gritty winger tapped in a rebound at 4:05 of the third period to break a 1-1 tie with Nashville (38-31-8). Steve Mason did the rest to give the Blue Jackets (40-29-8) a four-point cushion over Anaheim/Nashville for 6th-place.

Ducks 5 – Oilers 3

The Niedermayer brothers did some showing off Tuesday night in Edmonton. Scott scored once and had two assists, while Rob beat Dwayne Roloson twice. Their efforts propelled Anaheim (39-32-6) into a tie with Nashville for the final two playoff spots out West. The Oilers (36-32-9) have now dropped five of six and are tied with Minnesota for 10th-place, three points out of the bracket.

Canucks 2 – Wild 1 OT

Henrik Sedin’s goal four minutes into overtime and Roberto Luongo’s 33 saves have the Canucks (42-25-9) in first place in the Northwest Division. Vancouver is one point better than Flames and is third overall in the conference. Luongo’s victory made him just the fifth goaltender in history with four consecutive 30-win seasons. Minnesota’s slump continued thanks to an 0-for-5 effort on the power-play and despite holding the Canucks without a shot in final period. The Wild (36-32-9) are tied with Edmonton for 10th in the West, three points behind the Ducks and Predators.

Stars 3 – Kings 2

Dallas’ seven-game skid is finally over, but is it too little, too late? The Stars (34-33-10) woke up this morning in 12th-place out West. Six points and three teams separate them from a playoff spot with five games to go. Brendan Morrison (twice) and Mike Ribeiro scored for Dallas, while LA got goals from Anze Kopitar and Jack Johnson.

IN OTHER NEWS…

The Hall of Fame tweaked its selection process Tuesday, making it easier for women to be elected. Starting in 2010, the Hall will consider male and female candidates separately, with up to four men and two women selected for enshrinement. Currently, men and women are viewed together, making it difficult for a female nominee to garner enough votes.

The Maple Leafs have signed Notre Dame forward Christian Hanson to a two-year entry-level contract. Hanson is the son of “Slap Shot” star Dave Hanson. Christian had 15 goals and 16 assists in 37 games this season for the Fighting Irish.

Former Devils and Blues forward Mike Danton is now in a Canadian prison, according to TSN. Danton served four years of his 7-1/2-year sentence for a “murder-for-hire” plot in a Minnesota facility. Under Canadian law, he is now eligible for full parole.

WEDNESDAY’S SCHEDULE

Islanders @ Capitals 7:00pm ET
Sabres @ Thrashers 7:00
Devils @ Penguins 7:30 (Game of the Night)
Flyers @ Maple Leafs 7:30
Blues @ Blackhawks 8:30
Coyotes @ Avalanche 9:00

FTS - 3/31/09

TOP STORY

BEATEN TO HELL

Sean Avery & the New York Rangers Take Advantage of the Slumping Devils for a Big Division Win
(Photo Credit: NY Daily News)

New York Rangers (40-28-9) over the New Jersey Devils (47-25-4) 3-0

In the first Rangers-Devils game for Sean Avery since last year's playoffs, Avery took everything the Devils threw at him in a physical sense and assisted on a goal to help the Rangers split the season series with the Devils. "I just went into it the same I have for a lot of games, just trying to get focused and knowing what I have to do," Avery said. New York is 10-2-3, including the playoffs, against the Devils with Avery in the lineup since he arrived in February 2007.

Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist made 38 saves for his 3rd shutout of the season and the 20th of his career. Brandon Dubinsky and defenseman Daniel Girardi scored 2:04 apart during New York's three-goal second period. Ryan Callahan added his 21st goal for the Rangers, who bounced back from a disappointing 0-1-1 road trip and moved within a point of sixth-place Pittsburgh in the Eastern Conference playoff race. New York also stretched its lead to four points over Florida, which is below the postseason cutoff.

The Devils have already clinched a playoff berth and lead the Atlantic by six points over Philadelphia, but have dropped six of seven (1-5-1) since Brodeur broke Patrick Roy's NHL career record for wins by a goalie. "It's not fun," Brodeur said. "It's the time of the year you need to play well, to win games, to advance and to feel good about yourself. Right now, it's not the case for us. We're doubting how we do stuff out there. We have six games left and we have to find a way to get through this." New Jersey, which held a 38-37 shots advantage, is one point behind second-place Washington in the East.

The Rangers continue their playoff gauntlet of a schedule on Thursday at Carolina while the Devils travel to Pittsburgh to play the red-hot Penguins on Wednesday.

ACTION FROM AROUND THE LEAGUE...

San Jose Sharks (50-15-11) over the Calgary Flames (43-27-6) 2-1
Despite nine players missing due to injury, the San Jose Sharks found a way to win again. Jonathan Cheechoo scored the go-ahead goal in the second period and Evgeni Nabokov made 28 saves to lead the Sharks to a 2-1 victory over the Calgary Flames on Monday night. Dan Boyle also scored and Joe Thornton had two assists as San Jose, 5-1-1 in its last seven games, reached 50 wins for the second time in franchise history. "We have a lot of new faces in here but what can you say, the depth of this organization is pretty strong," Boyle said. The Sharks also moved four points ahead of Detroit in the race for the Presidents' Trophy. San Jose used four forwards who were playing with Worcester of the AHL less than four weeks ago. Captain Patrick Marleau was the latest to join the list of injured players, sitting out due to a lower body injury suffered Saturday night against Phoenix. Marleau is not expected to play Thursday night in Edmonton, either. Jarome Iginla got his 32nd goal of the season for Calgary late in the first period.

Phoenix Coyotes (32-37-7) over theDallas Stars (33-33-10) 6-5 (OT)
Petr Prucha scored 53 seconds into overtime to lift the Phoenix Coyotes to a 6-5 victory over the Dallas Stars on Monday night. Prucha took a pass from Shane Doan at the top right corner of the crease and shoved the puck past Dallas goalie Tobias Stephan for a power-play goal. Enver Lisin and Upshall scored two goals apiece and Doan added his team-leading 29th goal for the Coyotes, who won for the second time in three games. Brendan Morrison, Hutchinson, Darryl Sydor, Chris Conner and Loui Eriksson scored for the Stars, who have lost seven straight. Dallas is 4-12-2 since moving a season-best eight games over .500 on Feb. 19.

OTHER HEADLINES

-A passionate hockey fan made physical threats against the Columbus Blue Jackets in a series of phone calls to the team's arena during a game, police said. Peter Stenzel was arrested Thursday night and charged with inducing panic for threatening physical harm against the team during its 5-0 win over the Calgary Flames, Columbus Police Sgt. Rick Weiner said. Police traced the phone calls to Stenzel's Columbus home, where they found him wearing a Flames T-shirt, Weiner said. Police would not say if specific players were targeted or what the threats entailed. Stenzel, 52, was being held at the Franklin County Jail pending a Saturday court hearing. Weiner did not know if he had a lawyer. Blue Jackets spokesman Todd Sharrock didn't comment on the specific incident but said the club has procedures in place to respond to security threats to players and coaches. Columbus and Calgary are potential first-round playoff opponents. The Flames are in third place in the Western Conference with eight games to play, while the sixth-place Blue Jackets are attempting to qualify for their first playoff appearance ever. The top eight teams in the conference will go on to the postseason.

-NHL commissioner Gary Bettman says the financially struggling Phoenix Coyotes are actively seeking investors or possibly new ownership, but reiterated that the team won't be relocated. "Our goal is to bring in new capital and make this franchise solvent," Bettman said Thursday night while attending the Coyotes game against the Edmonton Oilers. "That's our direction, and at this point moving the franchise elsewhere is not on the table." The Coyotes have reportedly lost $200 million since current owner Jerry Moyes brought the team in 2001, and are projected to lose another $30 million this season. Bettman said the Coyotes are actively engaging with potential investors, whom he would not identify. The Coyotes will miss the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season and have had only two sellouts in 37 home games. In a recent survey, Glendale residents rejected the notion of taxpayer money to help provide financial assistance to the team. "We're looking for an infusion of capital and thinking about nothing else," Bettman said. "We're talking to a number of people, but there's no sense of urgency."

-Molson Coors president Peter Swinburn said Monday he has not talked to George Gillett since the majority owner of the Montreal Canadiens announced plans to review his holdings. Molson-Coors holds about 20 per cent of the shares in the National Hockey League team, while Gillett owns the rest. Swinburn said he doesn't really follow the team, noting he's more of a rugby fan. Gillett, an American, has retained financial firms in Canada and other parts of the world to "optimize the value" of his holdings in sports, entertainment and other businesses. Options reportedly available to Gillett include finding new investors or selling some holdings such as the Canadiens. Besides his shares in the Canadiens, Gillett owns 50 per cent of English soccer powerhouse Liverpool and has interests in the Richard Petty Motorsports NASCAR team, event promoter Gillett Entertainment Group, ski resorts, car dealerships and agricultural companies. Canadiens president Pierre Boivin attended Swinburn's address to a Montreal business group but declined to talk to reporters.

-The NHL named it's Three Stars Of The Week
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=273168

-Sources tell TSN the Toronto Maple Leafs are close to signing 23-year old Christian Hanson. Hanson, the son of Dave Hanson of the famed Hanson brothers from the move Slapshot is a centreman with the NCAA's Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Christian is 6'4" and 225 pounds and is considered to be a sturdy two way centre who scored 16 goals and 15 assists for 31 points in 37 games for the Fighting Irish this season. Hanson's contract with the Maple Leafs is expected to be signed on Tuesday.

TONIGHTS ACTION:
Tampa Bay @ Boston - 7PM
%Nashville @ Columbus - 7PM
Chicago @ Montreal - 7:30PM (on Versus)
Ottawa @ Florida - 7:30PM
Vancouver @ Minnesota - 8PM
Anaheim @ Edmonton - 9:30PM
Dallas @ Los Angeles - 10:30PM

% = 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