HAPPY ST. PATRIK'S DAY!!!!!

Photo credit: Kostroun/ AP

By Chris Carrano

Patrik Elias led the New Jersey Devils to a 5-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins last night at the Prudential Center, sweeping the six game series from their divisional rivals for the first time in franchise history.

Elias scored on a breakaway goal and set up another for the Devils as they took over first place in the Atlantic Division. The defending Stanley Cup Champions have been outscored 22-5 against New Jersey this season.

"It's kind of a measuring stick a little bit because you're playing the Stanley Cup champs," said Danius Zubrus. "Guys get up and play well." Zubrus tied the game at 1-1 when Elias intercepted Kris Letang’s pass at the Penguins blue line. With his back to the offensive zone, Elias sent a pass backward to Zubrus, who skated toward him with a full head of steam. Zubrus charged in, deked Fleury onto his back and put the Devils on the scoreboard.

Paul Martin, who returned to the Devils lineup after missing 59 games with a broken forearm, scored an unassisted goal in the first to put New Jersey up 2-1. Elias then scored on a shorthanded breakaway just 3:09 into the second period when he intercepted Jordan Leopold’s pass at the blue line and raced down the ice for his breakaway chance.

The Penguins, who looked nothing like defending Stanley Cup Champions last night, have only themselves to blame. Their sloppy play and multiple turnovers gave the Devils numerous breakaway chances and even led to two unassisted goals. Remarkably, the Penguins out shot the Devils 26-19, but none of that matters when you commit turnovers at the rate that they did. "They had 12 shots on net and five were clear breakaways," Penguins coach Dan Bylsma said. "That's leaving your goalie out to dry."

BLACKHAWKS LOSE GAME, SEABROOK

With a chance to tie the San Jose Sharks for the lead in the Western Conference, the Chicago Blackhawks fell 4-2 to the Anaheim Ducks last night, losing their third straight game. Anaheim can thank the refs for getting dust in their eye at the exact moment Corey Perry’s cross-check on Brent Sopel set up the game winning goal.

Lubomir Vishnovsky rifled a shot from just inside the blue line that was deflected high in the air. As Sopel was waiting for it to come down, he was cross-checked to the ice by Perry who then got the puck to Saku Koivu, whose 20-foot wrister beat Corey Crawford with 5:36 remaining.

"I thought it was definitely going to be a penalty. It was pretty evident," Sopel said. "I was jumping for the puck and he pushed me down. You can't do that. You've got to blow it down. You can't let it go in the slot like that and let them score a goal."

The game took an ugly turn when former Blackhawk James Wisniewski drove Brent Seabrook into the boards with a vicious hit to the jaw. Seabrook hit the boards with such force that he was left momentarily dazed before he crumpled down on to the ice. Seabrook left the game with an upper body injury while Wisniewski was given a two minute charging penalty and a five minute misconduct for fighting Duncan Keith, who came to his fallen teammates aid.

"I don't understand how the referees can see something like that and don't identify the fact that he's trying to hurt one of our players. He wasn't skating in from the blue line for any other reason than to run Seebs over and take the liberty on him," said Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews.

The hit will most certainly be reviewed by the NHL especially in the aftermath of Alexander Ovechkin's hit on Brian Campbell over the weekend and Matt Cooke’s hit on Marc Savard that led to a concussion.

"It is being looked into," NHL spokesperson Julie Young said Thursday. "If there is a suspension, it has to be done before the next game, unless the player is suspended until further notice."

Said Wisniewski after the game, “It probably will get looked at, but the result wasn't because of a shot to the head. I'm 5-foot-11 and he's 6-3. What happened was that my face hit his face. The visor came down and cut up my nose. I was shocked when I saw the result of it on the replay.

"I didn't do anything wrong," Wisniewski added. "The result of what happened isn't good, but there wasn't anything wrong that I did."

THE OTHER GAME…

Rene Bourque scored twice, once on a power play and once short handed to lead the Calgary Flames to a 3-2 victory over the Colorado Avalanche last night. "We got off with a good start, getting a lucky break on the short-handed goal,” said Bourque. “ I got a nice bounce and it turned into a nice night."

Milan Hejduk scored at 19:27 of the third period to get Colorado within one goal of the desperate Flames, but it was all for naught.

"We were buzzing at the end," Hejduk said. "We came out flat right out of the gate. They outplayed us the first period and then you play catch-up hockey."

TONIGHT'S GAMES

(All times EST)

Pittsburgh at Boston 7 p.m.
Washington at Carolina 7 p.m.
St. Louis at NY Rangers 7 p.m.
Ottawa at Atlanta 7 p.m.
Buffalo at Tampa Bay 7:30 p.m.
New Jersey at Toronto 7:30 p.m.
Phoenix at Florida 7:30 p.m.

Minnesota at Nashville 8 p.m.
Philadelphia at Dallas 8:30 p.m.
San Jose at Vancouver 10 p.m.
Chicago at Los Angeles 10:30 p.m.

Has the East Been Won?

photo credit: The Canadian Press

Things could change at the bottom of the Eastern Conference playoff bracket between now and April 11^th. But they won’t – minus some reshuffling, the eight teams you see this morning at the top of the standings are the ones that will be in the second season.

Just go back and watch the Rangers lose to the Canadiens, 3-1, last night at Madison Square Garden. Relive the Bruins running over the Hurricanes in Carolina, 5-2. And don’t read too much into Atlanta chasing Ryan Miller from the Buffalo net in a 4-3 victory. Once you do that, you’ll know what I mean.

Montreal’s winning streak is now six games. The run has propelled them into 6^th in the East, one point ahead of Philadelphia and seven clear of the 9^th-place Rangers.

“We’ve still got a lot of games left,” cautioned Scott Gomez. “The last thing that we’re worried about is these other teams.”

The Canadiens, though, no longer need to waste time on the Rangers. Forty-eight hours after an impressive defeat of the Flyers, the Blueshirts mustered little on offense and would’ve been beaten more badly if not for another sterling effort from Henrik Lundqvist (32 saves).

“Again, it is consistency. It is so obvious how we have to play and see how successful we can be with it,” said head coach John Tortorella. “We are just not consistent with it. What we did well against Philly, we were on the opposite end of the spectrum tonight.”

The Rangers sit three points behind the Bruins for the 8^th-and-final playoff spot. New York may win Sunday in Beantown, but could lose the following three contests. They are just not good enough to sustain a run into the postseason.

Boston got the big win last night, meanwhile, closing out a seven-game road trip with five different goal scorers supporting Tuukka Rask (30 saves). The Bruins also received good news postgame with head coach Claude Julien saying Patrice Bergeron suffered only a bruise after being hit by a shot in the leg.

TUESDAY’S SCOREBOARD (home team in CAPS)

Islanders 5 – CANUCKS 2 … John Tavares 2G, 3A after just 9 pts in his prev. 37 gms

STARS 8 – Sharks 2 … Mike Ribeiro, Brendan Morrow 2 goals apiece

PREDATORS 4 – Flyers 3 SO

Avalanche 5 – STARS 3

WILD 4 – Oilers 2

Capitals 7 – PANTHERS 3 … in game one of Alex Ovechkin’s 2-game suspension

Coyotes 2 – LIGHTNING 1

Maple Leafs 4 – SENATORS 1

THRASHERS 4 – Sabres 3

IN OTHER NEWS

- A report in this morning’s Toronto Globe and Mail says the NHL is working to implement new headshot rules immediately. A DVD of case studies is being finalized and will then be sent out to all 30 teams. This is an unprecedented move from league headquarters, and would need support from the owners AND players to be enacted before the postseason.

- The puck Sidney Crosby slipped through Ryan Miller to win the gold medal in Vancouver is headed to the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. A linesman from the game actually brought the puck back to his native Finland, then it was sent to the IIHF Hall of Fame. After settling into Toronto, the puck will periodically tour Canada.

- The Blackhawks put a timetable on Brian Campbell’s return from the injuries suffered Sunday at the hands of Alex Ovechkin. The defenseman will need 7-8 weeks to recover from a broken collarbone and rib. Ovechkin, meanwhile, issued this statement in response to Monday’s two-game suspension:

“I am very sorry that Brian was injured and I hope he is able to return to his team soon. NHL hockey is a physical game. We all play hard every time we are on the ice and have battles each shift in every game we play so we can do our jobs and win. As players we must accept responsibility for our actions and I am no different but I did not intend to injure Brian and that is why I was disappointed with the NHL’s decision yesterday. Every time I have the honor to play for my team, I will continue to do what I have done since I was taught to play. I will play hard, play with passion and play with respect for my teammates, opponents and fans. I look forward to returning to my team and doing everything I can to be the best player I can be.”

Also from the injury report, Tampa Bay winger Ryan Malone will miss up to two weeks after a “minor arthroscopic procedure” on his left knee. Malone is also dealing with an upper body injury, which caused him to miss three of the previous four games. And Columbus defenseman Jan Hejda is out 3-4 weeks with a Grade-2 sprain of the MCL in his right knee.

- In Montreal, the Canadiens and center Tomas Plekanec are pausing their extension negotiations. The team and pending UFA made the mutual decision to avoid distractions as the Habs push towards the postseason. Agent Rick Curran told RDS talks remain cordial.

- Tyler Seguin is the #1 prospect, according to the International Scouting Services mid-season rankings for March. The 18-year-old Plymouth Whalers (OHL) forward replaces F Taylor Hall of the Windsor Spitfires. Seguin led the OHL in scoring this season with 48 goals and 106 points.

WEDNESDAY’S SCHEDULE (all times are Eastern)

Penguins @ Devils 7:00

Flames @ Avalanche 9:00

Blackhawks @ Ducks 10:00 (NHL Network)

- Andrew Bogusch, boguschhockey@gmail.com

Bad Medicine for AO

photo credit: AP Photo / Nam Y. Huh

Alex Ovechkin didn’t have to hit Brian Campbell Sunday afternoon in Chicago. The puck was gone and Campbell was in a vulnerable position. But as unnecessary as the check was, it did not warrant the two-game suspension the NHL handed the Capitals captain yesterday.

The League deemed the play “reckless”. Didn’t know the rulebook accounted for recklessness. Some might say flying around rock-hard ice on razor-sharp skates while wielding a stick is reckless by definition.

Just a week ago, disciplinarian Colin Campbell chose not to twist the rulebook in order to punish Pittsburgh’s Matt Cooke for his indisputable cheapshot on Boston’s Marc Savard two Sundays ago. Now he’s punishing Ovechkin, not for boarding or charging or checking-from-behind, but through a subjective decision about what’s right and wrong on the ice.

“We have no problem with the way Alex tried to finish his check,” said Washington GM George McPhee in a statement. “Unfortunately, an injury occurred. We are disappointed in the suspension.”

Yes, Campbell was hurt on the play – he is reportedly done for the regular season because of the broken ribs and collarbone he suffered on the play. But Colin Campbell cannot factor injury into his punishments in any significant way. Ovechkin or any other offender cannot control how an opponent reacts to a hit. Nor can he control how the opponent’s body handles the contact with the boards, ice, etc.

An illegal hit is an illegal hit, whether the victim gets up unscathed or leaves on a stretcher. And Ovechkin’s was not an illegal hit.

He will sit out tonight at the Panthers and Thursday at Carolina. As a repeat offender, Ovechkin forfeits salary based on the number of games in the season (82), not the days (193), so this will cost him $232,645.40.

DEVILS 3 – BRUINS 2

Rob Niedermayer, David Clarkson and Zach Parise scored in the first period to kickstart another home win for New Jersey. It is their third straight, and brings the Devils within two points of Pittsburgh for first place in the Atlantic Division. The Penguins visit the Prudential Center Wednesday night. Martin Brodeur made 34 saves against the Bruins, while Tim Thomas was pulled after the opening period.

RED WINGS 2 – FLAMES 1

Tomas Holmstrom’s latest goalmouth tally provided Detroit with some breathing room at the bottom of the Western Conference playoff picture. The veteran forward redirected a Johan Franzen shot past Miika Kiprusoff for the winning margin in Calgary. The Red Wings now lead the Flames by three points for the 8th-and-final postseason spot.

BLUE JACKETS 5 – OILERS 3

Kristin Huselius (1G, 3A) and Antoine Vermette (1G, 2A) combined for seven points to hand Edmonton its latest road loss. The Oilers are just 1-14-1 since mid-December as the visitors.

* * *

There is plenty of injury news from Monday. Dallas Stars center Mike Modano is now without his appendix. GM Joe Nieuwendyk expects the 39-year-old to miss about two weeks.

Penguins center Evgeni Malkin and Ryan Getzlaf & Teemu Selanne in Anaheim are all considered day-to-day. Malkin took a Kris Letang slapshot off a leg Sunday -- x-rays showed no break. Getzlaf is dealing with a swollen left ankle, while Selanne has a slight strain to his left shoulder. Both Ducks are considered questionable for Wednesday against Chicago.

* * *

TUESDAY’S SCHEDULE (all times are Eastern)

Bruins @ Hurricanes 7:00

Sabres @ Thrashers 7:00

Canadiens @ Rangers 7:30 (VERSUS)

Maple Leafs @ Senators 7:30

Coyotes @ Lightning 7:30

Capitals @ Panthers 7:30

Avalanche @ Blues 8:00

Flyers @ Predators 8:00

Oilers @ Wild 8:00

Sharks @ Stars 8:30

Islanders @ Canucks 10:00

- Andrew Bogusch, boguschhockey@gmail.com

CAPS RALLY TO SHOOT DOWN 'HAWKS

Brian Campbell is tended to by team trainer after crashing into end boards. (Bill Smith/Getty Images)

By Chris Carrano

In a possible Stanley Cup Finals preview the Chicago Blackhawks learned the hard way that no lead is safe against the Washington Capitals. And that’s without Alexander Ovechkin in the lineup. With Ovechkin in the locker room after a questionable hit on Blackhawks defenseman Brian Campbell, the Capitals rebounded from a 3-0 deficit to win 4-3 on Nicklas Backstrom’s overtime goal.

Ovechkin’s day came to an end after his fore checking attempt, or shall I say hard shove on Brian Campbell, caused him to go sliding head first into the end boards. Campbell’s day was done as well and its unclear right now as to how long he will be out of action. Ovechkin knew he would get a penalty, but he didn’t think he would be removed from the game. "I don't think it was a real good check. He just kind of fell and it was a dangerous moment. It was not a hard hit. I just wanted to push him," Ovechkin said. "I didn't hit him hard. I pushed him, but he fell bad. It probably looks bad. I thought it was going to be two minutes, but the linesman came to me and said 'Game over.'"

On the ensuing five minute power play, the Capitals almost tied the game when Alexander Semin had a short-handed breakaway attempt, but drew an interference penalty instead after crashing into Blackhawks goalie Antii Niemi. The Blackhawks would go on to score on a 5-on-3 power play, giving them a two goal lead. However, two minutes and 16 seconds was all the Capitals needed to get back in this game.

With Chicago shorthanded thanks to Jordan Hendry’s double high-sticking minor, Brooks Laich put home a rebound after Niemi stopped a shot by Mike Green at 5:29 of the third period. To add insult to injury, Colin Fraser was called for high-sticking on the play, creating a 5-on-3 for a full two minutes with the second half of Hendry's penalty still on the board.

Niemi made several big stops during the penalty kill, including a pad save to deny Backstrom off a rebound. Immediately after the two penalties expired, Backstrom cleaned up on another rebound, a Joe Corvo shot that bounced off the end boards and came back out in front of the net. Eric Fehr then tied the game when he one-timed a feed from David Steckel, giving the Capitals two goals in the span of 13 seconds, and all the momentum they needed to finish strong.

"It's a strong sign, especially now at the end of the season," Backstrom said. "We know he [Ovechkin] is a key to our team and he scores a lot of goals. We have shown that we can play, that our other key players can play, too."

Whether or not Ovechkin should be suspended for the hit is debatable. I believe the hit doesn’t warrant a suspension. If Matt Cooke isn’t going to be suspended for his malicious blindside hit on Marc Savard last week, then Ovechkin shouldn’t have to miss any playing time either. It looked like a good check gone bad and the penalty he received fit the crime.

Information from NHL.com was used in this story.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE NIGHT

Sean Avery walks away from Scott Hartnell

Before the New York Rangers took the ice yesterday afternoon against the Philadelphia Flyers, head coach John Tortorella told his players to, “take a rap in the head if you have to, without instigating anything.” Sean Avery got the message and that’s exactly what he did.

Avery and Hartnell came together towards the end of the second period and got the crowd excited as it looked like we were going to witness MSG’s version of Pacquaio-Clottey. Then after Hartnell threw a punch, Avery took the high road and just skated away, while Hartnell was left with his hand in the cookie jar.

Photo courtesy of Sipkin/ New York Daily News

THREE STARS OF THE NIGHT

1- Sean Avery, New York Rangers- There are other offensive stars that may be more deserving of this, but its what Avery did away from the puck, as well as with it that he gets the top honor. After being benched on Friday night, Avery played his best game of the season so far. He drew two penalties (see above), scored twice and got into the Flyers heads in a 3-1 victory for the Rangers. Avery made big hits and just did what he does best, and that’s get under his opponent’s skin.

2- Nicklas Backstrom, Washington Capitals- Backstrom had two goals and one assist in Washington’s thrilling come from behind overtime victory yesterday afternoon. Backstrom’s play as of late proves that the Caps are not a one man team. Just like a hydra, if you cut one head off, you still have two other ones to worry about and with team captain Alexander Ovechkin ejected from the game, Backstrom stepped up to the plate and delivered the game-winner.

3- Craig Anderson, Colorado Avalanche- Anderson matched a career high 48 saves in Colorado’s 5-3 win over the Dallas Stars. Despite being down two men with a 6-on-4 penalty kill, Anderson stopped a flurry of Dallas shots to hold on for the victory.

Other scores...

Nashville 3, LOS ANGELES 2
NY ISLANDERS 4, Toronto 1
Pittsburgh 2, TAMPA BAY 1
Phoenix 3, ATLANTA 2
MINNESOTA 4, St. Louis 2
ANAHEIM 4, San Jose 2
VANCOUVER 3, Calgary 1

TONIGHT'S ACTION

Boston at New Jersey 7 pm EST (Versus)
Edmonton at Columbus 7 pm EST
Detroit at Calgary 9:30 pm EST