FTS 11/19/08

TOP STORY

PENGUINS SLIP AT SIX

(Photo Credit: Gene J. Puskar - AP)

Nicklas Backstrom and the Wild end the Penguins winning streak at six games

Minnesota Wild (11-4-1) over the Pittsburgh Penguins (11-4-3) 2-1 (SO)

When I saw this game on the schedule, I knew this was a must-watch. Minnesota is arguably the best defensive team in the league (and wins a lot of games that way) and the Penguins are arguable the best offensive team in the league. It's not often someone can beat the Penguins by only scoring one regulation goal, but Minnesota managed to pull it off at Mellon Arena.

Mikko Koivu would open the scoring with his 3rd goal of the season about 8 minutes in to the 1st period. Matt Cooke tied the game up for Pittsburgh only 10 seconds later. That would be the end of the scoring for the night until the shootout. D Marek Zidlicky would score the lone shootout goal to get Minnesota the road win. Wild G Nicklas Backstrom and Penguins G Dany Sabourin each made 24 saves in the game (both faced some really tough shots). Backstrom is 3-0 in shootouts this season. Evgeni Malkin's 13-game assist streak ended when he was held without a point. Since 1998, the only NHL player to record an assist streak of more than 13 games was Jaromir Jagr, who had assists in each of 16 consecutive games for Pittsburgh in January/February 2001.

The Wild have now won 3 in a row and look to build on that winning streak tomorrow when they begin a 5-game homestand against Vancouver. The way the Northwest is looking, the Wild-Canucks games will probably decide the division champion. The Penguins will try and start a new winning streak when they travel to Atlanta to play the Thrashers tomorrow night.

For more on this, NHL/AP Link: http://www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2008020262

OTHER HEADLINES

-Just when you thought things couldn't get worse in Ottawa, C Mike Fisher and forward Chris Neil are both nursing knee injuries suffered during a weekend road trip to New York. Head Coach Craig Hartsburg said it's "probably not realistic" that either will suit up against the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night at Scotiabank Place. Both were awaiting medical reports later this afternoon.

RUMOR MILL

-Brian Burke becoming the GM of the Maple Leafs sounds like it's getting closer and closer. Keep in mind that Burke and Leafs HC Ron Wilson are pals and that will only help things. Staying with the Leafs, don't be shocked if Mats Sundin ends up back in the Air Canada Centre after his whole saga.

-Brendan Shanahan to the Flyers isn't the lock it was a couple of weeks ago (apparantly it's $ issues). Expect Shanny to sign somewhere soon though.

LAST NIGHT'S RECAP

Carolina Hurricanes (10-7-2) over the Montreal Canadiens (10-5-2) 2-1
TOP PERFORMER = Hurricanes LW Sergei Samsonov - 1G (GWG)

-The Canadiens scored in the 2nd period (Robert Lang on the PP) but couldn't hold on thanks to goals from Ray Whitney and Sergei Samsonov. Carey Price made 46 saves in the loss (career high) while Cam Ward made 28 saves for the Hurricanes, who have won two straight after dropping three in a row.

Edmonton Oilers (9-8-2) over the Columbus Blue Jackets (8-8-3) 7-2
TOP PERFORMER = Oilers G Dwayne Roloson - 37 saves

-The Oilers jumped out to a 3-0 lead midway through the 1st period and never looked back. Ales Hemsky had a goal and two assists for Montreal while Ales Hemsky chipped in with three assists. Rick Nash had a goal and an assist in the loss. Edmonton won despite Columbus outshooting them 39-19.

Florida Panthers (7-9-2) over the Tampa Bay Lightning (5-7-6) 4-3 (SO)

TOP PERFORMER = Panthers D Bryan McCabe - 2 Goals (1 on the PP)

-The Lightning would rally from a 3-0 deficit to lose in the shootout. Nathan Horton scored the lone shootout goal. Panthers G Tomas Vokoun made 49 saves for the win while Mike Smith stopped 33 pucks for the loss. Lightning D Steve Eminger had a goal and two assists.

Calgary Flames (10-8-1) over the Colorado Avalanche (8-9-0) 4-1
TOP PERFORMER = Avs G Peter Budaj - 49 Saves

-This game was a lot closer than the score would indicate as the Flames added an empty netter (Jarome Iginla) and a PPG (David Moss) within the last minute. Flames D Adrian Aucoin would have a goal and an assist in the win. Miikka Kiprusoff made 22 saves to improve Calgary to 2-0 against Colorado this season.

Chicago Blackhawks (8-4-5) over the Phoenix Coyotes (8-8-1) 3-2 (SO)

TOP PERFORMER = Blackhawks RW Patrick Sharp - 1G and the SO winning goal
-Chicago would score the first two goals (Kris Versteeg and Sharp) in the 1st period. Phoenix would rally back with PP goals from Zbynek Michalek and Shane Doan. Chicago G Nikoali Khabibulin made 36 saves in the win while Ilya Bryzgalov made 38 saves in the loss. Doan played in his 900th NHL career game, all with the Phoenix-Winnipeg franchise. Chicago improved to 2-5 in overtime.

AROUND THE BOARDS

-The Blues claimed forward B.J. Crombeen off waivers from the Dallas Stars on Tuesday. The 23-year-old Crombeen had a goal and four assists, along with 26 penalty minutes, in 15 games with Dallas this season.

-The Detroit Red Wings placed forward Darren McCarty on waivers on Tuesday. McCarty, 36, signed a one-year contract with the Wings in the offseason after re-joining the club last winter and helping lead the team to its fourth Stanley Cup in 11 years. He returned to Detroit after stints with the American Hockey League's Grand Rapids Griffins and the International Hockey League's Flint Generals. McCarty played for Detroit from 1993 to 2004, helping the team win Stanley Cups in 1997, 1998 and 2002. He scored one goal in 10 games this season.

-The Minnesota Wild waived defenceman Tomas Mojzis.

GAME OF THE NIGHT

Buffalo Sabres (9-5-3) @ Boston Bruins (11-3-4) - 7PM

The Bruins have won 9 of their past 11 and are going for 6 straight tonight against their division rivals. One of those victories was a 3-1 home win over Buffalo on Nov. 8, as the Bruins peppered Sabres goalie Ryan Miller with 40 shots while Fernandez made 32 saves of his own. Buffalo has dropped four of its last five, allowing 22 goals over that span. Since earning back-to-back shutouts earlier this month against Washington and New Jersey to start November, Miller is 1-2-1 with a 3.75 GAA in his last four starts. He's typically played much better against Boston, going 12-4-4 with a 2.49 GAA in his career against the Bruins. This might surprise you when I say this, but Boston needs this game more than Buffalo does. Boston will only have one home game remaining against Buffalo the rest of the way and need to take advantage of it.

Other Action:

Vancouver (10-6-2) @ NY Rangers (14-5-2) - 7:30PM

Washington (10-4-3) @ Anaheim (10-7-2) - 10PM

^ALL TIMES EASTERN

*My weekly power rankings, "PLUS/MINUS", comes out Monday evenings

~Dropping the Gloves with Andrew Bogusch comes out tonight!

FEEL FREE TO COMMENT OR EMAIL ANYTIME HERE OR AT FROMTHESLOT@GMAIL.COM

PLUS/MINUS - 11/17/08

(Sorry for the delay in posting this. I had some plumbing issues in my apt last night)

PLUS/MINUS is my weekly Power Rankings Column. The + or – is based on the previous weeks rankings

PLUS/MINUS Brian Boucher is giving the Sharks all they need while Evgeni Nabokov is injured

1) San Jose Sharks {15-3-1} (EVEN)

2-0-1 week (OT loss vs. Nashville, win vs. Calgary, win @ Chicago)

For the 2nd week in a row, how can anyone say anyone is better than this team right now.

2) Detroit Red Wings {11-2-2} (EVEN)

2-0-1 week (OTL vs. PIT, wins @ Tampa and @ Florida)

They are playing strong hockey and beating the teams they should (which is almost all of them)

3) New York Rangers {13-5-2} (EVEN)

2-0 week (win @ NJ, shootout vs. Boston)

A very strong week, but they need to stop sleep-walking through the first 2 periods of games and then finding ways to win late. It's okay to do that from time to time, but sometimes you need to beat a team from beginning to end.

4) Boston Bruins {10-3-4} (+1)

2-1 week (won @ Chicago, vs. Montreal, SO loss @ NYR)

The Bruins had a 5 game win streak going before the Rangers game and have won 8 of their past 10. Easily the hottest team in the East.

5) Pittsburgh Penguins {11-4-2} (+3)

3-0 week (OTW @ Detroit, SO win vs. Philly, win vs. Buffalo)

Meet the 2nd hottest team in the East. The Penguins have won 6 in a row and are getting that same look and chemistry that they rode right through the playoffs.

6) Minnesota Wild {10-4-1} (+1)

2-0 week (Shutout win vs. Phoenix, Shoot out win vs. Columbus)

Minnesota is that really good team that's flying under the radar right now. They are a frustrating team to play against.

7) Montreal Canadiens {10-4-2} (-3)

2-2 week (won vs Ottawa, lost @ Boston, lost vs. Philly, shootout win @ St. Louis)

There's no doubt Montreal can be the best team in the league, but Carey Price needs to be more consitent in net and the offense needs to wake up a little.

8) Anaheim Ducks {10-7-2} (+1)

1-1-1 week (lost vs. Florida, OTL vs. Nashville, shutout win @ Los Angeles)

An average week for a team that is still playing solid hockey. Losing D Francois Beachuemin hurts them, but Bret Hedican will be able to contribute in his absence.

9) Washington Capitals {10-4-3} (+4)

2-0-1 week (won @ Carolina, vs. NJ, OTL @ NJ)

It's funny what happens to a team when they get Alexander Ovechkin back in the lineup. With Carolina slumping, Washington is taking full advantage of it. If Jose Theodore can find his game, look out.

10) Vancouver Canucks {10-6-1} (+1)

1-0-1 week (shootout loss vs. Colorado, win vs. Toronto)

The Canucks are getting a solid balance of offense, defense, and goaltending right now. They have a four game road trip coming up to prove their merit on the road.

11) Buffalo Sabres {9-5-3} (-5)

1-2 week (won vs. St. Louis, lost vs. Columbus, lost @ Pittsburgh)

The former hottest team in East has cooled off.They have a huge game in Boston on Wednesday night to right the ship before a four game homestand.

12) Carolina Hurricanes {9-7-2} (EVEN)

1-2 week (lost vs. Washington, lost @ Atlanta, shootout win vs. Tampa Bay)

It was not a great week for Carolina, but their two losses were to teams that were on a roll. Once Eric Staal gets back to form, the Hurricanes will be fine.

13) Nashville Predators {9-7-1} (+8)

3-0 week (OT wins @ San Jose & Anaheim, win @ LA)

Talk about an up and down team. They went 0-3 and were badly outplayed in the first half of their road trip and rebounded with 3 strong wins. This is a team that will probably hang around the 5-8 spots in the West all year long.

14) Chicago Blackhawks {7-4-5} (-5)

0-1-2 week (shootout loss vs. Boston, OT loss vs St. Louis, lost vs. San Jose)

A very tough week for a team who is playing solid hockey. All of their losses this week were decided by one goal. We haven't seen the best of this team yet.

15) Columbus Blue Jackets {8-7-3} (+1)

1-1-1 week (lost vs. Phoenix, won @ Buffalo, shootout loss @ Minnesota)

Columbus is playing smart, fundamental hockey right now. If they can step it up just a bit, they will be in the hunt for a playoff spot in the stretch run.

16) Calgary Flames {9-8-1} (-2)

1-1-0 week (won vs. Toronto, lost @ San Jose)

Calgary looked really bad against San Jose and has lost 3 of their past 4. I have a feeling this team will cycle between hot and bad all year long.

17) Toronto Maple Leafs {7-7-4} (+1)

1-2-0 week (lost @ Calgary, won @ Edmonton, lost @ Vancouver)

Their western Canada road swing went as you would expect from the Leafs right now. It looks like they will be that team that is the best of the non-playoff contenders.

18) Edmonton Oilers {8-7-1} (-1)

0-1-1 week (lost vs. Toronto, OT loss vs. Colorado)

The Oilers are still trying to find their way. In their last 8 games, they've won 2, lost 2, won 2, lost 2.

19) New Jersey Devils {8-7-2} (-5)

1-2 week (lost vs. NYR, lost @ Washington, shootout win vs. Washington)

I like Kevin Weekes as a backup, but this team desperately needs to make a run at Nikolai Khabibulin or Dwayne Roloson

20) Philadelphia Flyers {7-6-4} (+8)

3-1 week (won @ NYI, shootout loss @ Pittsburgh, won @ Montreal, won vs. Atlanta)

This is another team that has really hot and really cold streaks. Their upcoming schedule will provide them a chance to higher above the .500 waterlevel.

21) Phoenix Coyotes {8-8-0} (-1)

1-2 week (won @ Columbus, shutout loss @ Minnesota, loss vs. Dallas)

A 3 game win streak ended for this team against two teams that match-up well against Phoenix. They get a good home test against Chicago before setting out for a 4 game road trip.

22) Atlanta Thrashers {7-8-2} (+1)

1-1 week (won vs. Carolina, lost @ Philly)

The Thrashers righted the ship with a 5 game winning streak before ending in Philly. They are still a game under .500 but are playing solid hockey. If their goaltending stays consistent, they can move up the standings a little bit.

23) Los Angeles Kings {7-8-2} (EVEN)

2-2 week (shootout win vs. Dallas, win @ Dallas, lost vs. Nashville, shutout loss @ Anaheim)

The Kings are playing better hockey and it's showing in their record. Erik Ersberg is playing really well in net for LA and should officially be the starter in the Staples Center.

24) New York Islanders {6-9-2} (+2)

2-1 week (lost vs. Philly, won @ Ottawa, won vs. Ottawa)

After a very rough start to the season, the Isles are finally getting some consistent offensive play. Joey MacDonald has been really good between the pipes while the Isles decide if it's worth making a movie for a goalie this year or not. The home and home sweep of the Senators was only their 2nd set of back to back wins this year.

25) Ottawa Senators {6-9-2} (-6)

0-3 week (lost @ Montreal, lost vs. NYI, lost @ NYI)

Ottawa's season got off to a rough start. Then they went on a steak of winning 4 of 5 and looked like the Senators teams of the past few years. Now it has crashed and they are in the midst of a 4 game losing streak. Look for some trades to happen here soon.

26) Colorado Avalanche {8-8-0} (+1)

2-0 week (2-1 shoout win @ Vancouver, 3-2 shootout win @ Edmonton)

I need to see more consistent winning from this team before I move them back up too high. They've won three in a row and are beginning to get the same momentum we saw when they got their 5 game winning streak going. Peter Budaj has continued to improve, but needs to do it at a quicker pace.

27) Dallas Stars {6-8-3} (-2)

1-1-1 week (shootout loss @ LA, lost vs. LA, won @ Phoenix)

I think it would be tough to make a case for anyone else being more disappointing than the Stars this season. Their offense hasn't been great, but the problems start with Marty Turco. Dallas made a minor deal by acquiring Darryl Sydor for Phillipe Boucher, but they will need to do a lot more than that to jolt this team back in the upper-echelon of the Western Conference.

28) St. Louis Blues {6-8-2} (+1)

1-1-1 week (lost @ Buffalo, won @ Chicago in OT, shootout loss to Montreal)

A pretty ho hum week for St. Louis. They have some decent talent on this team but it's taking time for them to develop. Losing Andy McDonald for 8 weeks will keep this team hurting more than they already are. Manny Legace is slowly improving with each start since returning from injury.

29) Florida Panthers {5-8-1} (EVEN)

1-1 week (won vs. Tampa Bay, lost vs. Detroit)

They took care of business against their cross-state rivals and played Detroit very tough. Florida improved their league worst PP to 2nd worst (12.7%) but need to continue the trend at a quicker pace. How soon will it be until Jay Bouwmeester is out the door in Sunrise?

30) Tampa Bay Lightning {5-7-5} (-8)

0-3-1 week (lost @ Washington, lost @ Florida, lost vs. Detroit, shootout loss @ Carolina)

The Lightning aren't the worst team in the NHL, but right now they are certainly playing the part. If firing the head coach (Barry Melrose) doesn't shake things up, it can be a long, hard road out of the basement for a team with so much talent. Rick Tocchet wanting to open up their playing style should help this team once everyone gets on the same page.

BIGGEST GAINER = Nashville Predators and Philadelphia Flyers (+8)

BIGGEST LOSER = Tampa Bay Lightning (-8)

-15 Teams Moved Up

-9 Teams Moved Down

-6 Teams Remained Even

FTS 11/18/08

TOP STORY

SENATORS SLIDE CONTINUES
(Photo Credit: Thomas A. Ferrara - Newsday)

Henrik Lundqvist stones Antoine Vermette in another close win

New York Rangers (14-5-2) over the Ottawa Senators (6-9-3) 2-1 (SO)

Things are getting real bad in Ottawa real fast. They have now lost five in a row and with their upcoming schedule, it's not going to get any easier. Ottawa has scored two goals or less in 12 of 18 games this season and had their five game winning streak @ MSG snapped.

Daniel Alfredsson would get the Senators on the board first in the 2nd period on a set up from Dany Heatley and Alexandre Picard. In the 3rd period, Frederik Sjostrom would things up to force OT. Nikolai Zherdev would score the only goal in the shootout and Henrik Lundqvist to give the Rangers their 2nd straight shootout win and 3rd win in a row. This was Rangers D Wade Redden's first game against his old team.

Henrik Lundqvist improved to a league best 12 wins and has clearly been the Rangers MVP this season. The Rangers are winning a lot of close games, and he has been the difference every time. Lundqvist has allowed two goals or less in 12 straight games. The Rangers have allowed two or fewer goals in 16 of their 21 games this season (13-2-1). It's only the second time in the NHL's modern era (since 1943-44, when the center red line was introduced) that they allowed no more than two goals in at least 15 of their first 20 games of a season. They did that 15 times in 1957-58.

If there was ever a case of team's going in opposite directions, last night's game was a textbook example of it. It's still early in the season, but it looks like the Rangers will be a top 3 team in the East throughout the season. For Ottawa, they need a shake up quick before they fall further in to the abyss. The Rangers next game is Wednesday night when they host Vancouver while the Senators are off until Thursday when they host the Canadiens.

For more on this, NHL/AP Link: http://www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2008020258

OTHER HEADLINES

-The NHL named it's 3 Stars of the Week

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=392914

-The NHL is cracking down on hits to the head even more:

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=256270&lid=sublink06&lpos=headlines_nhl

-St. Louis center Andy McDonald is expected to be sidelined eight weeks after breaking his left leg during a 3-2 shootout loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday. Blues coach Andy Murray said Monday that McDonald was hurt when he crashed into the corner boards late in the first period. MRI results revealed no further damage and surgery is not required. He isn't expected back until at least mid-January. "I was kind of right there. I just heard him screaming and you could tell," said winger Brad Boyes, who has played regularly on the top line with McDonald. "He was in agonizing pain. You could tell right away something was wrong." McDonald, who leads the Blues with 18 points, had scored five goals in five games prior to Sunday. He appeared to be avoiding taking a stick to the face when he suddenly buckled awkwardly into the corner and went down immediately. He had to be helped off the ice and did not put any weight on his left leg.

RUMOR MILL

-It's sounding like the Brian Burke-Toronto Maple Leafs relationship is beginning to develop. Nothing official yet, but expect both parties to begin talking about the GM spot soon.

LAST NIGHT'S RECAP

New York Islanders (7-9-2) over the Vancouver Canucks (10-6-2) 2-1

-Pavol Demitra would get the Canucks on the board less than a minute in to the game, but that would be the end of the Canucks offensive day. Doug Weight would tie things up for the Isles on the power play in the 2nd period and Frans Nielsen would score the shootout winner. G Joey MacDonald made 31 saves for the win while Roberto Luongo stopped 34 shots against his former team. The Isles have now won three in a row. Islanders D Andy Sutton played in his 500th NHL game. Canucks D Alex Edler, who missed Saturday's game against Toronto because of the flu, sat out again.

Detroit Red Wings (12-2-3) over the Edmonton Oilers (8-8-2) 4-0

-Talk about an exciting time for Red Wings G Ty Conklin. He wins a game, then his wife gives birth to their 3rd child, and then makes 20 saves to his 5th career shutout last night. Niklas Kronwall (PP_, Mikael Samuelsson, Jiri Hudler and Johan Franzen scored the four Red Wings goals. Dwayne Roloson stopped 37 shots in the loss for Edmonton. Edmonton fell to 4-8-2 in its last 14 games after starting the season 4-0-0 and have scored just eight goals in their last five games. Oilers center Fernando Pisani broke his ankle as he slid into the boards feet first as he battled for the puck with the Red Wings' Nicklas Lidstrom with a little under 15 minutes left in the third period. MacTavish said that Pisani, who was on crutches after the game, would be out at least a month. Edmonton forward Dustin Penner was a healthy scratch for the second consecutive game.

Boston Bruins (11-3-4) over the Toronto Maple Leafs (7-8-4) 3-2
-The Bruins would jump out to a 2-0 lead in the 1st period thanks to goals from Phil Kessel and Matt Hunwick. Jason Blake would cut the lead in half before the 1st intermission. In the 2nd period, Toronto was really moving around well and getting scoring chances, but Michael Ryder would score a highlight real goal to give the Bruins the lead for good. Claude Julien won his 100th game behind the Bruins bench (Mikhail Grabovski scored the other Toronto goal). Tim Thomas made 28 saves in the win while Vesa Toskala stopped 19 in the loss.

San Jose Sharks (16-3-1) over the Nashville Predators (9-8-1) 4-1

-San Jose would jump out to a 4-0 lead after two periods and improved their record to a league-best 33 points. Devin Setoguchi (PP), Jody Shelley, Tomas Pilhal and Patrick Marleau scored for San Jose and David Legwand scored the lone Nashville goal (SH). Brian Boucher made 32 saves to improve to 6-1-1 on the season. The big story here was Jason Arnott being taken to the hospital during the game. San Jose's Joe Pavelski and Arnott collided and crashed into the net as they both were charging toward the puck. Arnott was pushed headfirst into Sharks goalie Brian Boucher and was carried off after lying motionless on the ice for several minutes. He was taken to the hospital as a precaution. "Arnott is going to be fine," Predators coach Barry Trotz said. "He was released from the hospital and came back to the arena to change clothes before going home. It looks like it is just a neck strain." Trotz said Arnott might miss Tuesday's practice due to soreness, but that he expected him to be ready for Friday night's game at Tampa Bay.

AROUND THE BOARDS

-The Colorado Avalanche signed 22-year-old center Paul Stastny to a five-year contract extension through the 2013-2014 season. Last season, Stastny led the Avalanche with 71 points in 66 games and was selected to play in his first All-Star Game. He leads the Avs with 15 points in 16 games this season.

-NHL Central Scouting will released its fall preliminary rankings today:

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=392972

-NHL goal scoring leader Alexander Semin skated for about half of the team's practice on Monday and traveled with teammates to Anaheim. The Capitals are hopeful that he'll be ready to go Wednesday. Semin missed the third period of the Capitals' 3-1 win over the Devils in Washington on Friday with an undisclosed upper-body injury. He skated out for the pre-game warmup Saturday, the second game of the home-and-home series, but quickly left the ice. He had 13 goals and 27 points through Friday.

-Reports out of Sweden indicate that Victor Hedman will be out around three weeks with a separated shoulder. Hedman is a top candidate to be taken No. 1 overall in the 2009 NHL entry draft. If the prognosis is accurate, the injury should not prevent him from playing for Sweden in the 2009 World Junior Championship in Ottawa. There were some initial fears late last week when Hedman was checked into the boards that he may have broken his collarbone, but it's now identified as a separated shoulder. (Credit Bob McKenzie - TSN)

GAME OF THE NIGHT

Minnesota Wild (10-4-1) @ Pittsburgh Penguins (11-4-2) - 7PM

The Penguins will be looking for the 7th straight win against the Minnesota Wild at home tonight. They'll have to give it a shot without their starting goaltender, Marc-Andre Fleury. Fleury, 8-3-0 with a 2.86 goals-against average on the season, will be replaced by Dany Sabourin, 3-1 with a 1.68 GAA. "It's not a major injury," head coach Michel Therrien said Monday. "We just don't want to take a risk." The Pens 6 game winning streak has been sparked by Evgeni Malkin. Malkin has a 13-game point streak, recording six goals and 21 assists in that span. If not for inconsistent offense, the Wild might also be carrying a lengthy winning streak into Tuesday's game. Minnesota won its second straight Saturday, 3-2 in a shootout over Columbus, but the Wild went 2-4 prior to the consecutive victories, managing 10 goals during that stretch.

Other Action:
Montreal (10-4-2) @ Carolina (9-7-2) - 7PM
Edmonton (8-7-2) @ Columbus (8-7-3) - 7PM
Florida (6-9-1) @ Tampa Bay (5-7-5) - 7:30PM
Colorado (8-8-0) @ Calgary (9-8-1) - 9:30PM

Chicago (7-4-5) @ Phoenix (8-8-0) - 9:30PM

^ALL TIMES EASTERN


*My weekly power rankings, "PLUS/MINUS", comes out tonight

~Dropping the Gloves with Andrew Bogusch comes out Wednesday evenings

FEEL FREE TO COMMENT OR EMAIL ANYTIME HERE OR AT FROMTHESLOT@GMAIL.COM

FTS 11/17/08

TOP STORY

SAN JOSE BACK ON TRACK

(Photo Credit: AP)

Joe Pavelski Pokechecks the puck from Patrick Sharp

San Jose Sharks (15-3-1) over the Chicago Blackhawks (7-4-5) 6-5

Devin Setoguchi's power-play goal with 4:15 left gave San Jose a 6-5 victory over Chicago on Sunday night, the Blackhawks' first home loss in regulation this season. Dan Boyle scored two power-play goals for the Sharks, who went 4-for-6 with the man advantage. Milan Michalek, Joe Thornton and Jeremy Roenick also connected to help NHL-leading San Jose win its second straight to improve to 9-1-1 in its last 11. Joe Pavelski had three assists.

Chicago defensemen Brian Campbell and Cam Barker each had a goal and two assists. The Blackhawks' Kris Versteeg scored a pair of goals and Patrick Kane also added one for Chicago. Chicago coach Joel Quenneville wasn't happy about the opening effort from the Blackhawks. "They got the lead on the first shift," Quenneville said. "We couldn't keep possession of the puck. And some of the penalties we took... not with a power-play threat they have. "I'm not happy at all with the way this thing ended. They're a good team. We had them where we wanted them and let them off the hook. We were gracious." Michalek opened the scoring 42 seconds in, connecting from the left circle following a faceoff.

Jeremey Roenick's goal was his first since March 28 and first in 21 games. Sharks G Evgeni Nabokov missed his fifth game because of a lower-body injury. San Jose RW Mike Grier sat out with a lower-body injury, sustained in the Sharks' previous game and RW Jonathan Cheechoo returned after missing four games with a back injury. The Sharks next game is tonight at Nashville (see our Game of the Night). The Blackhawks next game is tomorrow night when they open up a 6 game road trip at Phoenix.

For more on this, AP Link: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iClBtiC4_-yKWzsWFimsCv-OgUBQD94GDQ2G0

RUMOR MILL

-We've been saying that the Devils might make a deal for a goalie in the absence of Martin Brodeur. Look for Nikolai Khabibulin to be that guy. Staying with the Devils, John Madden could be on the move as well.

-Staying with NYC-area teams and goalies, it looks like the Isles will be trying to make a deal for Oilers G Dwayne Roloson.

-The Michael Nylander to Vancouver rumors are heating up again. Chicago is also another possible destination.

-Marian Gaborik's name is coming up again. Toronto is the team stirring the pot again. Nik Antropov would probably be one of the center pieces heading back.

LAST NIGHT'S RECAP

Carolina Hurricanes (9-7-2) over the Tampa Bay Lightning (5-7-5) 3-2 (SO)

-Martin St. Louis and Vinny Lecavalier (PPG) would get Tampa out to a 2-0 lead early in the 2nd period. They wouldn't be able to hold on in Rick Tocchet's coaching debut though. Wade Brookbank and Rod Brind'Amour would tie things up in the 2nd period and then Brind'Amour and Tuomo Ruutu would pot 2 shootout goals for the win. Cam Ward made 26 saves in the win while Mike Smith made 28 in the loss. The victory snapped a three-game losing steak for Carolina. The Canes have now won just two of their last six games.

Montreal Canadiens (10-4-2) over the St. Louis Blues (6-8-2) 3-2 (SO)

-The Habs won for just the second time in six games after starting the season 8-1-1. Alexei Kovalev would score the lone shootout goal for the road win. Andrei Kostitsyn had a goal and an assist and Robert Lang added the other Montreal goal. Steve Regier scored both St. Louis goals (one of them was on the PP). Montreal D Francis Bouillon took a shot to the mouth off in overtime and was immediately rushed off the ice.Montreal D Mike Komisarek (strained shoulder) missed his second straight game after being injured during a fight Thursday night in Boston.

Philadelphia Flyers (7-6-4) over the Atlanta Thrashers (7-8-2) 4-3
-Antero Niittymaki made 29 saves to improve to 11-0-0 against the Thrashers in his career to snap Atlanta's 5 game winning streak. The Flyers are now 13-0-1 in the last three seasons against the Thrashers. Joffrey Lupul would score the game-winner with just over 6 minutes remaing for Philadelphia. Simon Gagne, Mike Knuble, and Kimmo Timmonen (PPG) scored for the Flyers while Erik Christensen, Bryan Little and Slava Kozlov would score for Atlanta. The Flyers are 13-0-1 in the last three seasons against the Thrashers.

Anaheim Ducks (10-7-2) over the Los Angeles Kings (7-8-2) 2-0

-Ducks G Jonas Hiller made 29 saves to earn his first career shutout. Bret Hedican scored his first goal as a Duck and Corey Perry scored the other one in the battle of LA. It was the Ducks' second shutout in the last two meetings between the Southern California rivals. The last time they met on Nov. 4 at Staples Center, the Ducks won 1-0 on Chris Pronger's overtime goal. The only other time the Ducks have had consecutive shutouts against the Kings in 2000-01, both in Anaheim by 4-0 scores. The Ducks are 0-for-13 on the power play in their first three games against the Kings. Last season they were 5-for-36 in eight meetings. The Ducks are 6-0 when leading after two periods.

GAME OF THE NIGHT

San Jose Sharks (15-3-1) @ Nashville Predators (9-7-1) - 8PM

The Sharks are looking to avenge their lone home loss of the season when they travel to Tennessee tonight. They are coming off a 6-5 come-from-behind win over Chicago last night. The Predators have won 3 in a row and are coming off a 3-1 win in Los Angeles on Saturday. They are coming back from a 6 game road trip. Nashville went 3-3-0 on the trip. Dan Ellis will be in net for the Preds and is 1-1-0 with a 2.49 GAA versus the Sharks. Expect Brian Boucher to start again for San Jose.

Other Action:

Vancouver (10-6-1) @ NY Islanders (6-9-2) - 7PM

Ottawa (6-9-2) @ NY Rangers (13-5-2) - 7PM

Edmonton (8-7-2) @ Detroit (11-2-3) - 7:30PM

Boston (10-3-4) @ Toronto (7-7-4) - 7:30PM

^ALL TIMES EASTERN

*My weekly power rankings, "PLUS/MINUS", comes out tonight

~Dropping the Gloves with Andrew Bogusch comes out Wednesday evenings

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