TOP STORY
3-4 Months Of Hell
3-4 Months Of Hell
(Photo Credit: Rick Schultz - AP)
Martin Brodeur Expected to Return in March
-The backbone of the Devils franchise, Marty Brodeur, will be out for the bulk of the regular season because of a freak injury to his left elbow. The injury occured in Sunday's game against the Atlanta Thrashers. He came out of the game 6:38 into the second period, clutching his elbow in obvious pain. At the time, the Devils said he suffered a bruise."The guy missed the net and I extended my arm real quick and felt a pop, a stabbing kind of feeling in my biceps and from then I knew something was wrong," Brodeur said.
He will undergo surgery tomorrow morning to repair the distal bicep in his left elbow. Kevin Weekes will be starting for New Jersey in the meantime while Scott Clemmensen is the backup. Ironically, Weekes required surgery this summer to repair a similar type of injury. Devils General Manager/CEO/President Lou Lamoriello told reporters Tuesday afternoon that the veteran goalie would miss the next 3-4 months, but should return completely healthy for the end of the regular season. Four months from Thursday is March 5. The Devils would have 18 games remaining if he's back by then.
Brodeur remains 7 wins shy of tying Roy on the all-time wins list and 5 shutouts short of tying Terry Sawchuk's record for the most shutouts. "I don't know if it's because I'm in shock a little bit, but I don't feel too bad," Brodeur said on a conference call Tuesday afternoon. "It's something I didn't see coming, but I understand the whole process of it. We didn't make a decision on it right away. We made sure we saw a few doctors and did our homework for the surgery that will be done."
This is a freak injury for a hockey player, especially a goalie. I've always wondered what type of team the Devils would be without Marty. Now we'll get to see how this team does without one of the best insurance policies ever between the pipes. Kevin Weekes is a reliable backup and can play a few games here and there for you. Can he be the #1 guy for a 3-4 month stretch remains to be seen. It will also be interesting to see how head coach Brent Sutter responds to this in his game planning. If the Devils can tread water and hold their own until then, New Jersey should still be able to make a run at the playoffs. Fans of the other Atlantic Division teams (with the exception of the Islanders because they are screwed anyways) can breathe a little bit easier for the time being.
OTHER HEADLINES
-Columbus Blue Jackets center Derick Brassard, who led all rookies and his club in scoring with nine points (four goals, five assists) in 10 games, has been named the NHL Rookie of the Month for October. Brassard edged forwards Kris Versteeg of the Chicago Blackhawks (2-6--8 in nine games), Jakub Voracek of Columbus (3-4--7 in 10 games) and Fabian Brunnstrom of the Dallas Stars (5-1--6 in eight games), plus defensemen Drew Doughty of the Los Angeles Kings (1-0--1, 21:32 avg. ice time in nine games), Luke Schenn of the Toronto Maple Leafs (0-1--1, 21:36 avg. ice time in 10 games) and Luca Sbisa of the Philadelphia Flyers (0-5--5, 18:34 avg. ice time in 10 games).Brassard recorded points in eight of 10 games and posted an even or plus rating in nine contests, including a third-period goal and +2 rating in the season opener, a 5-4 overtime victory at Dallas Oct. 10. He tallied his first multiple-point game (one goal, one assist) in a 4-2 victory at Colorado Oct. 30.
-The Ducks have thrown their hat in to the Sundin sweepstakes (courtesy of TSN.ca):
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=254825&lid=sublink05&lpos=headlines_nhl
RUMOR MILL
-Earlier this week, Brendan Shanahan was rumored to be working a deal with the Penguins. Now the Flyers seem to be throwing their hat in to the ring.
LAST NIGHT'S RECAP
New York Islanders (4-7-1) over the New York Rangers (10-4-1) 2-1
-The Rangers are on a two game losing streak while the Isles are on a two game winning streak. I was at this game and the Rangers looked flat from beginning to end. This was evident when the Rangers anemic PP gave up two shorthanded goals (Nate Thompson and Richard Park). Joey McDonald looked very solid between the pipes, making 35 saves (many of them tough saves). Rangers forward Markus Naslund has eight points (4G, 4A) in his last seven games and scored the lone goal for the Blueshirts.
-The Rangers are on a two game losing streak while the Isles are on a two game winning streak. I was at this game and the Rangers looked flat from beginning to end. This was evident when the Rangers anemic PP gave up two shorthanded goals (Nate Thompson and Richard Park). Joey McDonald looked very solid between the pipes, making 35 saves (many of them tough saves). Rangers forward Markus Naslund has eight points (4G, 4A) in his last seven games and scored the lone goal for the Blueshirts.
Ottawa Senators (5-5-2) over the Washington Capitals (5-4-2) 2-1 (OT)
-Mike Fisher's GW goal with 40 seconds left in OT improved Ottawa to 3-0-1 in their last four games. Dany Heatley scored the other goal for Ottawa (Fisher would get an assist on that goal as well) and D Tomas Fleischmann scored the lone Capitals goal. Heatley now has a four-game goal-scoring streak. G Alex Auld made 26 saves in his sixth straight start for the Sens while Brent Johnson made 42 saves in the loss. Alexander Ovechkin returned to the lineup for the Capitals after missing two games (family health issues back in Russia) and was a -1 for the game.
Carolina Hurricanes (7-3-2) over the Toronto Maple Leafs (5-4-4) 5-4 (OT)
-The Hurricanes dodged a bullet in this game. After building a 4-1 lead after the first period (Ruutu, Seidenberg-PPG, LaRose, Bayda), the Leafs would mount a comeback thanks to two Mikhail Grabovski goals. In OT, D Niclas Wallin would score the winning goal with the assists coming from Tuomu Ruutu and Sergei Samsonov. Hurricanes coach Peter Laviolette tied John Tortorella for most wins by an American-born coach with 239. The Maple Leafs have outshot their opponent in eight consecutive games and have at least 35 shots in seven of their last eight contests. They had 42 on Tuesday; the Hurricanes had 24. Carolina has now won 5 of its last 6 meetings vs Toronto.
Phoenix Coyotes (5-5-0) over the Calgary Flames (7-5-1) 4-2
Phoenix Coyotes (5-5-0) over the Calgary Flames (7-5-1) 4-2
-Phoenix snapped a four-game losing streak against Calgary and won for just the fifth time in the last 20 meetings between the teams. Ed Jovanoski's PPG in the 2nd period was his first goal of the season and would end up being the game winner for the Coyotes. C Steve Reinprecht and D Derek Morris would also score their first goals of the season. Shane Doan scored his seventh goal this season and added an assist (his third consecutive multi-point game). Ilya Bryzgalov made 27 saves for Phoenix to improve to 4-4-0. Calgary D Robyn Regehr returned to the lineup after missing the previous game with an undisclosed injury. Phoenix rookie C Kyle Turris was a healthy scratch.
Vancouver Cancuks (7-6-0) over the Nashville Predators (6-5-1) 4-0
-Canucks C Kyle Wellwood scored two goals on the PP (his first career multi-goal game) while Mayson Raymond and Daniel Sedin added goals of their own in the home win. Roberto Luongo made 24 saves for his 3rd shutout of the season. The Predators are now 1-4-1 in their last six meetings with the Canucks. Nashville head coach Barry Trotz coached his 750th career game -- he's the 31st to attain that mark and only the 10th to coach 750 games with a single team. Predators RW J.P. Dumont had his seven-game point streak snapped at two goals and seven assists.
Anaheim Ducks (8-5-1) over the LA Kings (3-6-2) 1-0 (OT)
-The Kings made a switch between the pipes last night and gave Erik Ersberg his first start of the season. He looked impressive and made 26 saves, but D Chris Pronger would spoil the party 40 seconds in to OT. Teemu Selanne's assist on the Pronger goal tied Selanne with Paul Kariya (369) for the most in franchise history. Ducks G Jean-Sebastian Giguere made 35 saves for his 2nd shutout of the season and 31st of his career. It was the first time in 43 trips to Los Angeles that the Ducks left town with a shutout win. They had only skated through a 1-0 game on one prior occasion. Jamie Storr backstopped the Kings to a 1-0 win in LA back in 2002. The Kings are now winless in their last five games (0-4-1) and have scored just 13 goals in their losses this season.
Anaheim Ducks (8-5-1) over the LA Kings (3-6-2) 1-0 (OT)
-The Kings made a switch between the pipes last night and gave Erik Ersberg his first start of the season. He looked impressive and made 26 saves, but D Chris Pronger would spoil the party 40 seconds in to OT. Teemu Selanne's assist on the Pronger goal tied Selanne with Paul Kariya (369) for the most in franchise history. Ducks G Jean-Sebastian Giguere made 35 saves for his 2nd shutout of the season and 31st of his career. It was the first time in 43 trips to Los Angeles that the Ducks left town with a shutout win. They had only skated through a 1-0 game on one prior occasion. Jamie Storr backstopped the Kings to a 1-0 win in LA back in 2002. The Kings are now winless in their last five games (0-4-1) and have scored just 13 goals in their losses this season.
San Jose Sharks (11-2-0) over the Minnesota Wild (7-3-1) 3-1
-The Sharks remain unbeaten at home (7-0-0) and have now beaten the Wild 8 straight times. Their home unbeaten streak is at 12 games, dating back to last season. Krys Kolanos scored his first NHL goal in over three years to open the scoring, but that would be all the Wild would get. Mike Grier, Jamie McGinn and Ryane Clowe scored the three San Jose goals to get them to an NHL best 22 points in the standings. The Sharks, who rank second in the NHL in shots per game, peppered 49 at Nicklas Backstrom. Evgeni Nabokov made 23 saves in the win. The Wild are scoreless in their last 16 power play opportunities. Wild D Brent Burns was scratched with soreness in his upper body.
AROUND THE BOARDS
-The Vancouver Canucks called up right-winger Michel Ouellet from Manitoba (AHL). Ouellet, who has 52 goals and 116 points in 187 career NHL games, was acquired from Tampa Bay as part of a four-player trade Oct. 6. The Canucks left him in the AHL to start the season, and he led Manitoba in scoring with four goals and 10 points through 10 games. The Canucks sent forward Jason Krog back to the Moose. Krog, 32, recorded one goal in four games with Vancouver. He also has five points (1-4) in four games with Manitoba this season.
-The NHL All-Star Ballot is now available:
http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=390492
-The Boston Bruins sent forward Vladimir Sobotka to Providence of the American Hockey League on Tuesday. Sobotka was scoreless in five games with the Bruins this season. In 48 games with Boston last season, he had one goal and six assists.
-The Carolina Hurricanes activated right wing Scott Walker from injured reserve on Tuesday. Walker has missed Carolina's first 11 games of the season after he had surgery on his left hand on October 6.
-The Dallas Stars have added free agent forward Mark Parrish to their lineup. The two way deal will see the former 30 goal scorer earn $500,000 if he stays with the NHL club and $100,000 if he is sent to the AHL. He could be in the Stars lineup Friday against Anaheim.
-Veteran NHL forward Martin Gelinas signed with Swiss club Bern to bolster its European Champions Hockey League campaign. Gelinas, who played for Nashville last season, played in 1,420 regular and post-season NHL games. He scored 332 goals as a winger in Edmonton, Quebec, Vancouver, Carolina, Calgary and Florida.
GAME OF THE NIGHT
St. Louis Blues (5-5-0) @ Anaheim Ducks () - 10PM
-The Blues are opening a five game road trip on a two game losing skid. Their most recent loss was a 6-3 beating at the hands of the Penguins. The Ducks open a 6 game homestand are riding a hot streak. They've won 7 of their past 8 and they're coming off a 1-0 shutout win over the Kings last night. If St. Louis can get a better goaltending performance from Chris Mason, they could steal the game. Blues C Andy McDonald is 2nd on the team in points (1G 11A) and I'm sure he'd like to remind Anaheim how good of a player they traded away.
Other Action:
Tampa Bay (4-3-3) @ New Jersey (6-3-2) - 7PM
Edmonton (6-4-1) @ Columbus (4-6-2) - 7:30PM
^ALL TIMES EASTERN
*My weekly power rankings, "PLUS/MINUS", comes out on Monday evenings
~Dropping the Gloves with Andrew Bogusch comes out tonight!
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