FTS - 12/3/08

TOP STORY

SOME THINGS NEVER CHANGE...

(Photo Credit: Getty Images )

Sean Avery suspended indefinitely by the NHL, Stars win

For anyone who knows Sean Avery, the following comments, that took place after the Stars morning skate in Calgary, shouldn't come as a shock:

"I am really happy to be back in Calgary, I love Canada," Avery said. "I just want to comment on how it's become like a common thing in the NHL for guys to fall in love with my sloppy seconds. I don't know what that's about. Enjoy the game tonight."

Those comments were in reference to Flames D Dion Phanuef dating Avery's ex-girlfriend, actress Elisha Cuthbert. Canadiens D Mike Komisarek also dated Elisha for a short while (For the record, being "sloppy seconds" on Elisha Cuthbert isn't a bad place to be). Another one of Avery's ex-girlfriends, Rachel Hunter, is dating Kings C Jarrett Stoll.

It's no shock that Gary Bettman suspended Avery indefinitely only hours after his comments. Stars owner Tom Hicks said that if the NHL didn't suspend him, the team would have. I'm sure Avery has said much worse on the ice during the game, but this is a new low for him (on the record, at least). It would have been bad if he had blurted it out in a media scrum outside his locker, but the fact that he purposely made sure there was a camera rolling for his comments, that's what makes this even worse for him (All of that being said, as wrong as they might have been, I thought the comments were hilarious). This is Sean Avery in a nutshell. Even casual hockey fans or sports fans know of Avery's reputation. He's run his mouth out of Detroit, Los Angeles, New York, and now probably Dallas.

As a Rangers fan, I was one of the few who was glad they didn't resign him. The only reason Avery behaved (for the most part) during his time with the Rangers was because he shared a locker room with two of the greats in Brendan Shanahan and Jaromir Jagr. I don't care how much of a disrespectful nature you have, if those two guys are in your locker room, you're going to scale it down a bit. Once they were gone, there was no one in that locker room that Avery would even consider listening to. Brendan Morrow and Mike Modano are great players, but Avery wouldn't behave for those guys in a million years.

The next questions are:

1) How long will the suspension be?

2) Will he have a future with the Stars?

3) How will this affect the team?

Here are some comments from his Dallas teammates:

-“Certainly it’ll be a situation we’ll have to address when it comes,” veteran forward Mike Modano said. “If it does.” - this was his response when asked if he could earn the team's respect back

-“It’s unacceptable. Our image around the league has been tarnished a bit. We’ve always been able to handle personalities and throw them into the group. But it’s been a bit of work this year.” - More from Modano

-“We gave him chances to be himself, but he said what he said and he does what he does, and that’s his problem right now. This is an organization of being a man and standing up. And if he’s a part of it, he has to own up. The disrespect of this morning and other things over the course of the season have been extremely disappointing. We’re going to focus on what we can do right now. But we’re not going to ignore what happened today or pretend it didn’t happen.” - Stars G Marty Turco

-"The show continues." - Marty Turco, in reference to Avery's antics.

-"I think the words (he used) and his disrespect for an opponent. There’s lots of trash talking that goes on on the ice, but to announce something like that for everyone to hear, that just crosses the line." - Stars HC Dave Tippett when asked what he thought was the most damaging part about his comments.

Those quotes say it all. It seems like most of the team wasn't a big fan of the signing to begin with and now they're reasons are justified. Dallas has been one of the classier organizations in the league for a long time and this is not something they will tolerate. I think Avery will return this season, but will be traded elsewhere. Say what you want about his mouth and antics, but the guy does play well on the ice and serves a role. We've seen it with guys like Terrell Owens and Randy Moss in the NFL. As long as you're not doing something that is physically harmful to others or illegal off the field, a team will always take a chance on a troubled, but talented player. Where Avery goes remains to be seen (lets see how long the suspension is and what playoff contenders will take a chance on a guy like him), but he will play again in 2008-09. It will be interesting to see if the Stars struggles magically disappear now that he will be out of the locker room for the time being.

Dallas Stars (9-11-4) over the Calgary Flames (14-10-1) 3-1
TOP PERFORMER = Stars G Marty Turco - 36 saves
-It appeared that a weight had been lifted off the Stars in their first game without Sean Avery this season. Toby Petersen opened up the scoring for the Stars in the 1st period. In the 2nd period, David Moss would tie things up for Calgary, but Fabian Brunnstrom scored his 7th goal of the season to give Dallas the lead for good. Loui Eriksson would add an empty net goal (his 12th goal of the season). It was just the third time this season and second since Oct. 20 that Marty Turco held the opposition to fewer than two goals and it was the first time Dallas had registered back to back wins. In all but two of Calgary's losses, the Flames have failed to scored more than two goals. Three times they've scored just one goal.

OTHER HEADLINES

!!!THE CAROLINA HURRICANES HAVE FIRED HEAD COACH PETER LAVIOLETTE AND HAVE BROUGHT BACK PAUL MAURICE TO COACH THE TEAM. MORE ON THIS IN TOMORROW'S FROM THE SLOT !!!

-Moscow regional prosecutors said an ice arena manager and a hockey club director were negligent in the death of rising Russian star Alexei Cherepanov. Prosecutors stated that the manager of the Moscow region arena where Cherepanov was playing failed to coordinate proper emergency medical services before the game. The 19-year-old Cherepanov collapsed Oct. 13 while on the bench for Omsk club Avangard in Russia's Continental Hockey League, or KHL. The player, a top prospect for the New York Rangers, died a short time later. Investigators said Cherepanov apparently had chronic ischemia which is a medical condition where not enough blood gets to the heart or other organs. They said that calls into question the competency of arena manager Yury Afonkin and the director of opposing club KHL club Vityaz. The club director, Mikhail Denisov, has already been fired. Prosecutors did not say whether they were planning to file criminal charges. Last month, KHL officials said results of a preliminary investigation showed emergency medical personnel acted properly in treating Cherepanov after his collapse. A comprehensive forensics examination is continuing.

-Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby is closing in on a trio of Montreal Canadiens in voting for the NHL All-Star Game. Montreal players lead all six starting spots on the Eastern Conference team as of Tuesday, and Crosby is within 65,000 votes of third-place forward Alex Tanguay (385,297). Alex Kovalev (393,303) and Saku Koivu (390,026) lead the voting for the position. Crosby is followed by Penguins teammate Evgeni Malkin (264,914). The Canadiens may become the first team to send six starters to the all-star game. Crosby was the leading vote-getter the last two years. The game is Jan. 25 at the Bell Centre in Montreal. Habs defensemen Andrei Markov (440,292) and Mike Komisarek (396,754) have more than twice as many votes as Boston Bruins captain Zdeno Chara. Montreal's Carey Price appears to be a good bet to start in goal. He has 429,087 votes so far -- well ahead of Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury at 204,308.

-Quebec provincial police divers have recovered the body of former NHL star Hubert (Pit) Martin, who drowned after the snowmobile he was riding on plunged into an icy lake near his home. Divers found the body early Tuesday afternoon, Quebec provincial police said. Martin was a four-time NHL all-star in the 1960s and '70s. Martin, 64, was driving the vehicle on Lake Kanasuta in northwestern Quebec on Sunday when the ice cracked and he plunged into the freezing water, police said.

LAST NIGHT'S RECAP

Philadelphia Flyers (12-7-5) over the Tampa Bay Lightning (6-10-8) 4-3 OT
TOP PERFORMER = Mike Richards - 2 Goals

-The Lightning played a tough game, but didn't play well enough to avoid losing their 5th straight. The teams were even after the 1st period thanks to goals from Jeff Carter (PPG) and Mark Recchi (PPG). The teams would remain tied at 1 after the 2nd period. In the 3rd, Mike Richards (shorthanded) and Jeff Carter (PPG - 2nd of the game) would give Philly a 3-1 lead. Tampa would battle back with goals from Vaclav Prospal (PPG) and Steve Downie (1st of the season) to force OT. At 2:05 of the OT, Mike Richards scored his 2nd goal of the game on a feed from Kimmo Timonen and Jeff Carter to get the win. Philly has earned a point in 10 of its last 11 games while Tampa Bay to 1-6-4 in its last 11 games and is 1-3-4 under interim head coach Rick Tocchet.

Florida Panthers (10-11-3) over the Washington Capitals (13-9-3) 5-3
TOP PERFORMER = Panthers LW Ville Peltonen - 1 Goal, 1 Assist
-The Capitals would hold a 1 goal lead after the 1st period thanks to a PP goal from Nicklas Backstrom. In the 2nd period, Ville Peltonen, Jay Bouwmeester (PPG), and Bryan McCabe (PPG) would give Florida the lead for good. In the 3rd period, Radek Dvorak scored the eventual game winner and Gregory Campbell added an empty net goal. Viktor Kozlov and Tomas Fleischmann (PPG) scored the other Caps goals. It was Washington's first regulation loss at home this season and this was the Panthers' 2nd win in a row.

Montreal Canadiens (14-6-4) over the Atlanta Thrashers (8-13-3) 5-4
TOP PERFORMER = Andrei Kostitsyn - 1 Goal, 2 Assists

-The Canadiens jumped out to a 3-0 lead after the first two periods thanks to goals from Matt D'Agostini, Tomas Plekanec, and Andrei Markov (PPG). In the 3rd period, Ron Hainsey scored twice (once on the PP) and Chris Thorburn would net a goal in a :59 span. 7 minutes later, Andrei Kostitsyn and Robert Lang (empty net goal) would give Montreal the lead for good. Jason Williams scored a late goal to keep it close. Atlanta fell to 1-6-1 in its last eight games and has lost four in a row. Canadiens defenseman Ryan O'Byrne, left winger Sergei Kostitsyn and right winger Guillaume Latendresse were healthy scratches.

Phoenix Coyotes (11-11-2) over the Los Angeles Kings (10-11-3) 4-2
TOP PERFORMER = Coyotes LW Enver Lisin - 2 goals (GWG)
-Alexander Frolov got the Kings on the board in the 1st period, but Shane Doan would tie the game up on the power play. In the 2nd period, Oscar Moller gave the Kings the lead again on the power play. In the 3rd period, Enver Lisin scored two goals four minutes apart to give the Coyotes the lead and the win. Martin Hanzal would add an empty net goal. Mikael Tellqvist made 32 saves in the win and won his 3rd game in the past 4 starts. "He was as good as he's been again all year," Coyotes coach Wayne Gretzky said of his goalie. "He's just been solid. I know the players like playing in front of him and he's having fun." Tellqvist has appeared in five of the Coyotes' last six games. "We're 21 guys doing the job," Tellqvist said. "As long as they keep it to the outside and let me make the first save, we're going to play well. Hopefully I'll get to play again on Thursday."

San Jose Sharks (21-3-1) over the Toronto Maple Leafs (9-10-6) 5-2
TOP PERFORMER = Sharks C Joe Thornton - 1 Goal, 3 Assists
-Maple Leafs head coach Ron Wilson's return to San Jose wasn't a memorable one. The Sharks jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the 1st period on goals from Devin Setoguchi, Joe Thornton, Dan Boyle and Marc-Edouard Vlasic (PPG). Nikolai Kulemin got Toronto on the board in the 2nd period. In the 3rd, Joe Pavelski scored his 11th of the season (shorthanded) for San Jose while Niklas Hagman scored a late goal for Toronto. It wasn't a memorable return for Maple Leafs G Vesa Toskala, who made 25 saves on 30 shots. Evgeni Nabokov made 29 saves for San Jose. The Sharks improved to 13-0-1 at home this season and its 21 wins in its first 25 games matches the NHL record. The Sharks also have 43 points in their first 25 games, matching the record set by the 1943-44 Canadiens.

RUMOR MILL

-It appears that the New York Islanders have become players for Marian Gaborik. They would obviously like to sign a guy like that long term, but may still do the deal if they can't. A message to Isles GM Garth Snow: Don't give him a 15 year deal if you do sign him long term.

AROUND THE BOARDS

-Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Steve Mason, who posted a 5-2-1 record with a 2.09 goals-against average, .919 save percentage and two shutouts in eight games, has been named the NHL Rookie of the Month for November. It marks the second consecutive month a Blue Jackets player has earned top rookie honors, following center Derick Brassard in October.

-USA Hockey reaches a deal with the NHL Network (courtesy NHL.com):
http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=395622

-The Edmonton Oilers have recalled center Rob Schremp from Springfield (AHL). The 22-year-old has scored one goal and leads the Falcons with 17 assists and 18 points in 18 games this season.

-The Washington Capitals recalled forward Graham Mink from the Hershey Bears (AHL). The 29-year-old Mink has played six career NHL games, most recently on Nov. 26 when the Caps beat Atlanta, 5-3, at Verizon Center. He is tied for 10th in the AHL with 11 goals and tied for eighth with 24 points through 21 games.

-Stefan Legein is returning to the NHL (courtesy of Bob McKenzie of TSN):
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=258235&lid=sublink03&lpos=headlines_nhl

GAME OF THE NIGHT
Pittsburgh Penguins (14-6-3) @ New York Rangers (17-8-2) - 7PM

The Penguins are coming in to this game extremely hot. Pittsburgh has gone 6-2-1 in it's last 8 and Sidney Crosby has six goals in his last three games. He is coming off his 2nd career hat trick in a win over the Devils on Saturday. Evgeni Malkin leads the NHL with 39 points and has notched in a point in all but two games for the Pens this season. On the flip side, the Rangers are coming off a bad 4-0 loss to the Panthers @ MSG on Sunday. They had won their previous 3 games before that. Rangers G Henrik Lundqvist leads the league with 15 wins and has made a habit of playing the Penguins well. He is 9-4-2 with a 1.89 GAA against Pittsburgh the past two seasons. Penguins G Dany Sabourin, who leads the league with a 1.84 GAA while filling in for the injured Marc-Andre Fleury, lost 4-0 on Dec. 18, 2007 at MSG in his only appearance against the Rangers.

Other Action:
Atlanta (8-12-3) @ Ottawa (8-10-4) - 7PM
St. Louis (10-10-2) @ Minnesota (14-8-1) - 8PM
Anaheim (14-9-3) @ Chicago (10-6-6) - 8:30PM
Dallas (9-11-4) @ Edmonton (10-11-1) - 9:30PM

^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

FTS - 12/2/08

TOP STORY

Detroit Duck Hunt

(Photo Credit - Paul Sancya - AP)

Dan Cleary, Niklas Kronwall, and Brad Stuart celebrate the eventual game-winner with Marian Hossa

Detroit Red Wings (16-4-4) over the Anaheim Ducks (14-9-3) 2-1
TOP PERFORMER = Red Wings RW Marian Hossa - 1 Goal

The Red Wings rebounded from a stretch where they lost three of four with a quality win over one of the better teams in the West. The Ducks would strike first on a Chris Kunitz goal two minutes in to the game. In the 2nd period, Johan Franzen would tie the game and earn his 100th career point. RW Marian Hossa got the winner 1:48 into the third period when he beat Hiller from the right circle to convert a two-on-one pass from Dan Cleary. "Clears had the puck and I just tried to wait for him and I knew it was a matter of time when he was going to make the pass to me," Hossa said. "Basically I just tried to shoot at the net and I think it surprised the goalie by the five-hole." Hossa hesitated before shooting, which threw Hiller off. "I was expecting one-timer and I was already down," Hiller said. It was Hossa's 14th goal and the second straight Red Wings win in which he broke a third-period tie. Hiller made 8 saves in relief of Jean-Sebastien Giguere, who stopped 37 shots before being removed after two periods. He has a history of groin injuries and was beginning to cramp up. "Decided after two periods that he had seen enough rubber for one game and not take a chance," Anaheim coach Randy Carlyle said.

The Ducks have been involved in some tight hockey lately as ten of their last 16 games have been decided by one goal. Next up for Anaheim is the 2nd and last game of their midwestern road trip at the Blackhawks. They defeated the Blackhawks 1-0 last week at home.

The Red Wings outshot the Ducks 47-16 in the game and have 23 wins in 29 all-time home games against Anaheim(three regulation losses, three ties). Detroit improved to 10-1-4 in one-goal games this season. Detroit right winger Tomas Holmstrom missed his seventh game with back spasms and RW Darren McCarty missed his second straight game with a groin injury. Next up for the Red Wings is a home game against the Canucks. The Red Wings will be trying to avenge a loss at Vancouver from last week.

OTHER HEADLINES

-Hubert (Pit) Martin, a four-time NHL all-star in the 1960s and '70s who played 11 seasons with the Blackhawks, died after his snowmobile plunged into an icy lake near his home town of Rouyn-Noranda, Que., a provincial police spokesman said. Const. Marie-Josee Ouellet said Martin, 64, was driving the vehicle on Lake Kanasuta in northwestern Quebec on Sunday when the ice cracked and he plunged into the freezing water. She said another man who was driving a separate snowmobile at the time has confirmed Martin ended up in the water. Divers were still attempting to retrieve Martin's body. "He always came back in the summer to play golf," Dale Tallon, now general manager of the Blackhawks, recalled of his fellow native of Rouyn-Noranda, a hockey hotbed that produced a long line of NHL stars. "I always admired him as a kid growing up in Noranda. "He was a wonderful guy. It's very sad." Martin, who would have turned 65 next week, lived on an island in the lake that was reached by boat in summer and snowmobile in winter, but there were always tricky periods in spring and fall when the ice had to be tested regularly, Tallon said.

-The NHL named it's Three Stars of the Week:
http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=395469

LAST NIGHT'S RECAP

Nashville Predators (12-10-2) over the Buffalo Sabres (11-10-3) 2-0
TOP PERFORMER = Predators G Pekka Rinne - 30 Saves (Shutout)
-Pekka Rinne has been everything that a team can ask from a backup goalie. When his number is called, he gives a solid effort in net and has resulted in a win each time (4-0-0), including his first career shutout last night. Jason Arnott and JP Dumont would score 2:33 apart in the 3rd period to give Nashville the win. Ryan Miller made 25 saves for the Sabres, who lost their second straight. Miller also had his personal three-game winning streak stopped. The Sabres played without captain Craig Rivet, who was scratched just hours before gametime because of an upper body injury. But Buffalo did get forward Ales Kotalik back after he missed seven games because of a hamstring injury.

Columbus Blue Jackets (11-10-3) over the Vancouver Canucks (14-9-2) 3-2
TOP PERFORMER = Blue Jackets LW Kristian Huselius - 1 Goal, 1 Assist (GWG)
-The game would stay scoreless until the 2nd period when Kyle Wellwood scored his 10th goal of the season on the PP to give Vancouver an early edge. Fredrik Modin would answer right back on the PP to tie the game. In the 3rd period, Kevin Bieksa (PPG) and Andrew Murray would trade goals to tie the game at 2. Kristian Huselius would score the game winner on a feed from Rick Nash (2 assists) and Marc Methot at 15:16 of the 3rd period to give Columbus the win. Steve Mason made 30 saves and improved to 6-2-1 on the season. Itt was the Blue Jackets their first win this season after allowing the first goal. The goalie problems continued for Vancouver as Curtis Sanford left with back spasms after stopping all 11 first-period shots. Cory Schneider faced 18 shots and stopped 15 in relief. The game was the 300th home game for the Blue Jackets (137-121-18-24).

Colorado Avalanche (12-12-0) over the Minnesota Wild (14-8-1) 6-5
TOP PERFORMER = Avalanche C Paul Stastny - 2 goals, 1 assist (GWG)
- The Avalanche snapped a five-game winless streak in Minnesota thanks to a 2nd period outburst of scoring. In the 1st period, Pierre-Marc Bouchard scored the first of his two goals in the game to open the scoring. Marek Svatos and David Jones would give Colorado a 2-1 lead, but Mikko Koivu would answer back for the Wild on the power play in the last minute of the period. In the 2nd period, Bouchard would score his 2nd goal of the game on the power play to give the Wild their last lead of the game. Colorado would then score four straight goals from Paul Stastny, Milan Hejduk (PP) TJ Hensick, and Stastny again. Owen Nolan (PPG) and Brent Burns (in the 3rd period) would score to get Minnesota within striking distance, but they would fall short. Minnesota head coach Jacques Lemaire was less than thrilled with the effort. "Worst two periods that I've seen," Wild coach Jacques Lemaire said, referring to the first two periods. "We made so many mistakes there in the first and second and we lost confidence a bit." Wild center Eric Belanger returned from a lower-body injury and skated in his 500th game.

Toronto Maple Leafs (9-9-6) over the Los Angeles Kings (10-10-3) 3-1
TOP PERFORMER = Maple Leafs G Vesa Toskala - 32 saves
-Kings winger Alexander Frolov would score less than a minute in to the game for Los Angeles, but their offensive output would end there. In the 3rd period, Matt Stajan and Mikhail Grabovski would score 1:21 apart on the same power play (Stajan on a 5 on 3) to give Toronto the lead for good. Jeff Finger would add an empty netter. Jason LaBarbera made 27 saves in the loss. Toronto RW Jamal Mayers sat out the last two periods with a broken right hand after sliding into the net and banging it on the goalpost. "You're looking at three weeks to a month, probably," Wilson said. Kings RW John Zeiler, who was suspended for the previous three games after checking Colorado's Adam Foote into the boards from behind on Nov. 22, was a healthy scratch. The Maple Leafs played at Staples Center for only the third time since the arena opened in October 1999. The other two visits resulted in a 4-4 tie on Nov. 13, 2003, and a 5-2 loss on Jan. 10. Their last victory in Los Angeles came on March 12, 1998, at the Inglewood Forum, when Felix Potvin outplayed Stephane Fiset in net for a 2-1 decision.

RUMOR MILL

-No rumors to report. BUT, it will be interesting to see whose status gets settled first between Mats Sundin, Marian Gaborik, and Jay Bouwmeester

AROUND THE BOARDS

-The Boston Bruins recalled defensemen Johnny Boychuk and Matt Lashoff from the Providence Bruins (AHL). Boychuk, 24, has posted four goals and 19 assists in 22 games this season for Providence. He currently leads all AHL defensemen in both points and assists. The 22-year-old Lashoff has scored four goals and 12 assists in 18 games. His 16 points rank third among AHL defensemen.

-The New York Islanders announced that center Mike Sillinger has been recalled following a three-game conditioning stint with the club’s AHL affiliate in Bridgeport. The team also announced that right wing Tim Jackman and center Jeremy Colliton were reassigned to Bridgeport following Saturday’s game against Ottawa. Sillinger, 37, has missed the Islanders’ first 24 games of the season as well as the team’s final 29 games of the 2007-08 season recovering from microfracture hip surgery. In 134 games with the Islanders, Sillinger has scored 38 goals and added 45 assists for a total of 85 points. The 18-year veteran has played in 1,042 career NHL games, tallying 238 goals and 308 assists for 546 points and 644 penalty minutes. Sillinger skated in three games during his conditioning stint at Bridgeport, logging one goal and three assists for four points.

-The Wild named defenseman Kim Johnsson captain for December. The veteran Swede leads the Wild in ice time (24:55) and has eight points. It will be Johnsson's first stint as captain since signing with Minnesota in 2006.

GAME OF THE NIGHT
Toronto Maple Leafs (9-9-6) @ San Jose Sharks (20-3-1) - 10:30PM

Tonight marks the return of Ron Wilson to San Jose. This will be his first game against the Sharks since being fired after the team's 3rd straight 2nd round playoff exit this past Spring. Hired by San Jose in December 2002, Wilson guided the Sharks to a 206-134-38 record with 19 ties in four-plus seasons with the club. He surpassed Darryl Sutter as the franchise's all-time wins leader on March 1. This will also be G Vesa Toskala's first game against the Sharks since being traded. The Leafs ended a five-game winless streak with a 4-2 victory over Philadelphia on Saturday, and got power-play goals from Matt Stajan and Mikhail Grabovski less than 1 1/2 minutes apart early in the third period of a 3-1 victory at Los Angeles on Monday. San Jose is on their 2nd seven game winning streak of the season and has outscored opponents 35-15 during the streak. The Sharks are coming off a 3-2 come-from-behind road win against Phoenix and still have yet to lose in regulation at home (12-0-1). San Jose is 2-0-2 in its last four meetings with Toronto.

Other Action:
Tampa Bay (6-10-7) @ Philadelphia (11-7-5) - 7PM
Florida (9-11-3) @ Washington (13-8-3) - 7PM
Atlanta (8-12-3) @ Montreal (13-6-4) - 7:30PM
Dallas (8-11-4) @ Calgary (14-9-1) - 9:30PM
Los Angeles (10-10-3) @ Phoenix (10-11-2) - 9:30PM

^ALL TIMES EASTERN


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

~Dropping the Gloves with Andrew Bogusch comes out Wednesday evenings

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

PLUS/MINUS - 12/1/2008

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

PLUS/MINUS

Evegni Nabokov returned from injury for San Jose this week

1) San Jose Sharks {20-3-1} (EVEN)
3-0-0 week (win vs. CHI, @ DAL, @ PHO)
San Jose has played 24 games this year. They've won 20 of them. Does anybody else realize how ridiculous that is? They've won 83% of their games. Oh, and their starting goalie, who happens to be one of the best in the world, is healthy again. The big question here is if San Jose will lose more than 10 games in regulation this season.

2) Boston Bruins {16-4-4} (+1)
2-1-0 week (Lost @ BUF, win vs. NYI, DET)
Head Coach Claude Julien shouldn't touch a thing right now. Keep your lines the way they are and continue to rotatate Manny Fernandez and Tim Thomas in the pipes. Right now, the recipe for success is perfect in Beantown. The Bruins record in November was 11-1-1 and they have the 4th best PP in the league at 23%. Boston will cool off at some point, but they are a team that is here to stay for the long run.

3) New York Rangers {17-7-2} (+1)
3-1-0 week (win vs. PHO, @ TB, @ FLA, lost vs. FLA)
The Rangers are the good team that's not really being discussed this year. There's a good reason for that, and it's because they can't play consistent hockey. Every time you think the Rangers are about to go on a roll, they take a bad loss (ie, being shutout by the Florida Panthers yesterday). The Rangers improving their 22nd ranked power play would help that out a bit. The Blueshirts are tied with Minnesota for the best PK in the league (89.5%)

4) Pittsburgh Penguins {14-6-3} (+1)
2-1-0 week (win @ NYI, lost @ BUF, win vs. NJ)
The Penguins had an impressive 9-2-1 November to get themselves among the top teams in the league. The Penguins have only lost 1 game this season when they score at least 3 goals in a game. The one thing missing from the team was consistent goaltending from Marc-Andre Fleury until he got hurt two weeks ago. If he can settle down, they could overtake the Rangers for the top spot in the Atlantic Division very quickly.

5) Detroit Red Wings {15-4-4} (-3)
1-2-1 week (OTL @ VAN, lost vs. MON, won vs. CLB, lost @ BOS)
It was a rough week for the defending champions. A team like Detroit can afford to have a week like that and still soldier on. Their league-best PP is still clicking at an obscene 32.3%. Detroit only plays four road games in the month of December, so they'll have a chance to take advantage of some home cooking and maybe try and catch San Jose.

6) Montreal Canadiens {13-6-4} (+1)
2-1-1 week (SOL vs. NYI, won @ DET, lost @ WAS, won vs. BUF)
Montreal came out of the gates strong in October, but a 6-5-3 November made them seem like a very average team. Buffalo's skid right around the same time helped them, but Boston's surge definitely but some pressure on the Habs to do something in the trading market soon. The Canadiens only have one road game until 12/27.

7) Minnesota Wild {14-7-1} (+1)
3-1-0 week (won vs. WAS, lost vs. DAL, won vs. TB, won @ NAS)
The Wild are winning hockey games the old fashioned way. Good goaltending from Niklas Backstrom (13-6-1, 2.15 GAA, .928 save percentage), defensive hockey, a top ranked PK (89.5%) and the 2nd best PP in the league (23.8%). If only they had beaten Vancouver one of the times they met, they'd hold the division lead.

8) Anaheim Ducks {14-8-3} (+4)
3-0-0 week (won vs. COL, CHI, won @ CAR)
If San Jose wasn't playing lights-out hockey, Anaheim and San Jose would have a back and forth battle for the Pacific Division lead on a nightly basis. Anaheim has won four in a row after going through a 1-3-2 stretch. The Ducks have played very well on the road (7-2-1), but must play better at the Honda Center (7-6-2).

9) Washington Capitals {13-8-3} (+2)
2-2-0 week (lost @ MIN, won vs. ATL & MON, lost vs. CLB)

Usually a 2-2 week doesn't merit moving up 2 spots, but their two losses came from teams who are built to shut down teams like the Capitals. Their 3-0 win over Montreal was impressive as well. It looks like Jose Theodore has finally gotten the edge in the battle for the starting goalie position. Theodore has gone 4-1-1 in his last six starts while Johnson is 0-3-0 in his last chances. Washington still has yet to lose in regulation at home.

10) Calgary Flames {14-9-1} (+3)
3-0-0 week (won vs. LA, won @ VAN, won vs. VAN)
While everyone was talking about Vancouver and Minnesota battling it out for the Northwest lead, Calgary has mounted their own push towards the top of the division standings. Knowing Calgary, they'll blow this streak (they've won 5 of their past 6) and go on a losing skid. That being said, the Flames are beginning to play as a unit and can match-up against any team in the West.

11) Vancouver Canucks{11-6-3} (-5)
1-2-0 week (won vs. DET, lost vs. VAN, lost @ VAN)
They started off the week with a solid home win over the Red Wings. Vancouver really had a chance to distance themselves in the division, but blew the opportunity. If they had split with Calgary, they still would have been in a good shape. Curtis Sanford is a solid backup goalie and could start on some teams, but this team's confidence is all with Roberto Luongo between the pipes. The Canucks will be road warriors in December, as the Calgary loss opened up a 7 game road trip.

12) Carolina Hurricanes {12-10-2} (-2)
1-3-0 week (lost @ FLA, vs. PHI, won @ PHI, lost vs. ANA)

Before the OT win at Philadelphia, Carolina lost 3, won 3, lost 3. Consistency is the problem for the Hurricanes and they'll be bottom feeders amongst Eastern playoff teams all year long if they continue to play this way (their PP is 2nd worst in the league at 12.9%). They are lucky that they really only have to contend with one other team (Washington) in the division. If Cam Ward is out for awhile, Carolina could be in some real trouble.

13) Chicago Blackhawks {10-6-6} (-5)
0-2-1 week (OTL @ SJ, lost @ ANA & LA)

The Blackhawks started the road trip well, opening it at 3-0 but then closed it 0-2-1. Losing Nikolai Khabibulin hurt this team because he was there main piece of trade bait to help take the team to the next level. Their 6th ranked PP (21.6%) and 10th ranked PK (83.3%) are keeping this team afloat. Chicago will have to be road warriors again in December because 7 of their 12 games are away from the United Center.

14) New Jersey Devils {12-8-2} (EVEN)
1-1 week (won @ FLA, lost @ PIT)

Before the loss at Pittsburgh, the Devils had won 5 games in a row. It looks like the Devils have gotten back on track and should be able to hover in the top 8 in the conference until Martin Brodeur returns. That being said, they are a jekyll and hyde team and can be streaky either way. It's amazing that a defense-first team like New Jersey is ranked 26th on the penalty kill (77.3%).

15) Buffalo Sabres {11-9-3} (+3)
2-1 week (won vs. BOS & PIT, lost @ MON)

The Sabres had a big rebound week after losing 5 in a row. All three games were quality, one goal differentials against three of the best teams in the East. Buffalo has the 3rd best PK in the league (86.9%) and it seems like goalie Ryan Miller is starting to get back in the groove he was in earlier this season.

16) Philadelphia Flyers {11-7-3} (+1)
2-1-1 week (won vs. DAL, @ CAR, OTL vs CAR, lost @ TOR)

The Flyers might be one of the streakiest teams in the NHL this year. They were on a 6 game winning streak before the OTL against Carolina and have now dropped two in a row. The one thing consistent on this team is special teams, as their power play ranks 8th (21.5%) and their PK ranks 5th (86.7%). G Martin Biron seems to be getting more and more of his game back as the games go by.

17) Nashville Predators {11-10-2} (-2)
1-1-1 week (SO loss vs. STL, win @ ATL, lost vs. MIN)

A ho-hum week for the Predators. Other than games against Minnesota, Vancouver and Detroit, the rest of the December schedule is a good opportunity for Nashville to feast on some weaker opponents and rack up some points in a very competitive Western Conference. G Dan Ellis has either been completely on or completely off his game and needs to find a happy medium.

18) Los Angeles Kings {10-9-3} (+4)
2-1 week (lost @ CAL, won @ EDM, won vs. CHI)

The way the Kings have played this season is impressive. This is a team that people left for dead and they are a game over .500 as we enter December. Credit this to the stellar play of new goalie Erik Ersberg. He is 6-4-2 on the season with a 2.29 GAA and .900 save percentage. L.A. is getting timely goals from their veterans and they are killing off penalties 84% of the time (good for 7th in the league). Reality will probably set in with the Kings soon, but they won't be an easy W for anyone this season.

19) Columbus Blue Jackets {10-10-3} (-3)
1-2-0 week (lost vs. PHO and @ DET, won vs. WAS)

Shutting out the Capitals is very impressive, but the rest of the week was tough. Columbus may have that wonderful goaltending problem of who to start. Pascal Leclaire is the #1 guy in Columbus for now, but rookie Steve Mason has played very well this season. Mason is 5-2-1 with a 2.09 GAA, .919 save percentage and is riding back to back shutouts. While that is a good problem for head coach Ken Hitchcock to have, he desperately needs to solve his league worst power play woes(9.9%).

20) New York Islanders {10-12-3} (+1)
2-2-0 week (won @ MON, lost vs. PIT & @ BOS, won vs. OTT)

Head Coach Scott Gordon seems to have this team playing it's best hockey of the season. C Doug Weight is leading the team with 22 points (5G 17A) and G Joey MacDonald has provided stability in net with a 10-9-2 record (2.89 GAA, .907 save percentage). MacDonald has started 12 games in a row and doesn't seem to be showing any signs of wear and tear. 9 of their 13 games in December will be on the road.

21) Toronto Maple Leafs {8-9-6} (-1)
1-1-1 week (lost vs. ATL, SOL @ OTT, won vs. PHI)

It was an average week for the Maple Leafs on the ice, but off the ice they made some big headlines. With Brian Burke running the show in Toronto now, expect some more changes (besides the Lee Stempniak trade) to try and improve this team for the future AND for now. As of now, the Leafs are 4 points out of 8th in the Eastern Conference. Don't be shocked if Burke makes some moves (nothing that would affect the team long term) to try and sneak this team in to the playoffs this season. They have played teams close throughout the season.

22) St. Louis Blues {10-10-2} (+1)
2-2-0 week (won @ NAS, lost @ COL & vs. EDM, won @ ATL)

A ho-hum week for St. Louis was highlighted by a goalie duel in Nasvhille that Chris Mason won against his former team. The Blues are a mediocre team at-best this season and will probably continue to hover around the .500 mark throughout. If they can keep their PP and PK around where they are now (PP = 22.6%-4th in the league, PK at 86.1%-6th in the league), they might have some meaningful games to play in late March.

23) Phoenix Coyotes {10-11-2} (+2)
2-2-0 week (lost @ NYR, won @ CLB & vs. COL, lost vs. SJ)

Other than the loss @ MSG to the Rangers, Phoenix had a very nice week. They took care of business against teams they should and played San Jose very close. It will be interesting to see what happens in the crease for Phoenix. Starting goalie Ilya Bryzgalov has struggled a bit this season while backup Mikael Tellqvist has played well in every chance he's gotten this season. Head coach Wayne Gretzky insists that Bryzgalov is still the #1, but that can certainly change.

24) Edmonton Oilers {10-11-2} (-5)
1-2-0 week (lost vs. LA, won @ STL, lost @ DAL)

Consistency starts with your goalie, and the Oilers have the most inconsistent goaltending situation in the league. Three different goalies have started in the past four games for Edmonton. Dwayne Roloson will most likely be traded (hopefully to help their PK, which ranks 3rd worst in the league at
75.2%) and Mathieu Garon has been horrid this season. That leaves rookie Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers, who has looked solid in each of his starts. With the exception of games against San Jose and Anaheim, Edmonton has a pretty balanced schedule in the month of December to see what type of team they will be for the remainder of the season.

25) Colorado Avalanche {11-12-0} (-1)
2-2-0 week (lost @ ANA, won vs. STL, lost @ PHO, won vs. TB)

This has been a tough luck year for Colorado. Joe Sakic is battling a back injury, Peter Budaj has been inconsistent in net, and they seem to alternate wins and losses. This is a team that, short of a major change or spark happening, will miss the playoffs this season. I've said it in past P/M columns, but this team is a good goalie away from making the Northwest extremely competitive.

26) Florida Panthers {9-11-3} (+1)
2-0-2 week (won vs. CAR, OTL vs NJ, SOL vs. NYR, win @ NYR)

The Panthers record may not be impressive, but Florida has really clamped down and improved their play since their 5 game road trip to start November. Craig Anderson is doing all he can to push Tomas Vokoun out of the starting goalie spot. LW David Booth continues to be their offensive star with 12 goals and 2 assists on the season. It will be interesting to see if Florida goes for a mix of prospects or tries to get guys who can help them now when they deal D Jay Bouwmeester (it's not a matter of "if" they trade him, it's a matter of "when")

27) Dallas Stars {8-11-4} (+4)
2-2-0 week (lost @ PHI, won @ MIN, lost vs SJ, won vs. EDM)

Despite an incredibly rocky and injury-riddled start to the season, Dallas is slowly beginning to improve. Their losses are closer in margin and they have won two of their past three. Other than games against Detroit and San Jose on the schedule, December provides Dallas with a good opportunity to gain some points back in the standings.

28) Ottawa Senators {8-10-4} (+1)
1-1-0 week (won vs. TOR, lost @ NYI)

It looks like that the Senators are simply a team of what you see is what you get. There are nights where there offense will dominate, and there are nights where their offense is MIA. G Alex Auld has been doing alright, but he needs more goal support. Their 4th ranked penalty kill (86.8%) has kept teams close, but not close enough (5 of their regulation losses have been by 1 goal)

29) Atlanta Thrashers {8-12-3} (-1)
0-2-1 week (lost @ WAS, vs. NAS, vs. STL)

It looks like Atlanta is beginning to move on past the Kari Lehtonen era. They know what they have in Johan Hedberg, but have been giving rookie Ondrej Pavelec more starts recently. He hasn't played great, but he hasn't played badly either. Slava Kozlov is carrying the load offensively for Atlanta, racking up 12 goals and 9 assists. Atlanta currently has the worst PK in the league at 73.8%.

30) Tampa Bay Lightning {6-10-7} (-4)
0-2-1 week (SOL vs. NYR, lost @ MIN & @ COL)

It looks more and more like this becoming a lost season for the Lightning. They have lost four in a row and have only won once in their past 10 games (3 of the losses have come in the shootout).
Head coach Rick Tocchet has his work cut out for him to get this team back to where it should be playing. They have too much talent to stay this bad for the rest of the season.

BIGGEST GAINER = Anaheim Ducks, Dallas Stars (+4)
BIGGEST LOSER = Vancouver Canucks, Chicago Blackhawks, Edmonton Oilers (-5)
-17 Teams Moved Up
-11 Teams Moved Down
-2 Teams Remained Even

FTS - 12/1/2008

TOP STORY

Stars & Stripes

(Photo Credit - Canadian Press)

Mike Modano's late goal gives Dallas the win and 1300 career points

Dallas Stars (8-11-4) over the Edmonton Oilers (10-11-2) 4-3
TOP PERFORMER = Mike Modano - 1 Goal, 1 Assist

It hasn't been a good year for the Stars. They have the worst record in the West and the injury bug has infected this team consistently since camp. That just makes a milestone like Mike Modano's 1,300th NHL point even sweeter. Modano scored the game-winning power play goal on Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers on a set up from Brad Richards with 2:21 remaining for the win over Edmonton. His 537th career goal made him the 31st player in the history of the game to break the 1,300 point barrier. Modano also had an assist and extended his lead among U.S.-born goal-scorers.

Dallas had a 2-0 edge after the 1st period thanks to goals from Mike Ribeiro (PP) and Toby Petersen's first goal in two seasons. In the 2nd period, Ales Hemsky would score on the power play to cut the lead in half. In the 3rd period, Kyle Brodziak would tie the game at 2. Ten minutes later in the period, Sean Avery would give Dallas a 3-2 lead, but it would be short lived when Brodziak scored his 2nd goal of the game two minutes later. Modano scored his 10th goal of the season just a minute after that. Oilers D Sheldon Souray would chip in 3 assists in the loss.

Oilers coach Craig MacTavish said leaving Modano alone on a late-game power play was a major tactical error. "It was missed execution on a pretty elementary part of our penalty kill," MacTavish said. "The game was there for us. It was ripe for opportunity. We squandered a pretty good second and third [periods] with boneheaded mistakes." Edmonton has lost 6 of their past 8 games and will get another chance to right the ship when they host Dallas on Wednesday night in the back end of the home and home.

This was a solid win against a playoff rival for Dallas. They haven't had much to cheer about this season, but this was a nice win on Thanksgiving weekend. The Stars improved their regular-season home record against Edmonton to 23-4-2 since they moved from Minnesota in 1993. Among the missing for the injury-riddled Stars were D Sergei Zubov (lower body), C Steve Ott (hand) and RW Jere Lehtinen (upper body). Zubov will be out for another week, said Tippett, who would not elaborate on the nature of the injury. Up next for Dallas is a two-game road trip, starting with Calgary tomorrow night.

OTHER HEADLINES

-New Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke doesn't expect to see Mats Sundin in a Toronto Maple Leafs sweater this season. He spoke with Sundin recently and came away from that meeting thinking that the Swede was hoping to join a contender. "I don't think we fit the profile he is looking for," Burke said Saturday after officially joining the Leafs organization. Sundin has spent the past few weeks working out in Los Angeles and has yet to commit to a return to the NHL. Several teams are believed to be interested in his services. The 37-year-old spent the past 13 seasons with the Maple Leafs. He's an unrestricted free agent and has been pondering retirement since the end of last year.

-The Dallas Stars announced today that the club has acquired D Andrew Hutchinson from the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for right wing Lauri Tukonen, who is currently playing for Lukko Rauma in the Finnish Elite League. Hutchinson is expected to join the Stars in time for their upcoming two-game road trip to Calgary and Edmonton. Hutchinson, 28, has gone scoreless in two games with Tampa Bay this season. In 20 games with Norfolk (AHL) this season, he has a goal and 13 assists for 14 points, tied for the team lead in assists and tops among Admirals D in scoring.

-Josh Bailey, the No. 9 pick in this year's NHL draft, will remain with the New York Islanders for the entire season instead of returning to his junior team. Bailey, who missed the first 14 games of the season with an injury, made his debut on Nov. 11. The 19-year-old centre had no goals and five assists in his first nine games. "In a short time, Josh has met and exceeded all of our expectations of him both on and off the ice," Islanders general manager Garth Snow said in a statement. "We look forward to watching him continue his development this season as an Islander."

LAST NIGHT'S RECAP

Florida Panthers (9-11-3) over the New York Rangers (17-8-2) 4-0
TOP PERFORMER = Panthers G Craig Anderson - 37 saves
-The Rangers were never in this game after the 1st period. Ville Peltonen, Stephen Weiss, and Gregory Campbell each scored in the 2nd period (Weiss and Campbell's goals were 12 seconds apart) for Florida. Michael Frolik added a goal in the 3rd period. Radek Dvorak added two assists in the win. New York was 0-for-5 on the power play including a late 5-on-3 advantage for 1:45. Craig Anderson earned his 2nd shutout of the season and 6th of his career. Rangers G Henrik Lundqvist was replaced in the 2nd period by Stephen Valiquette.

St. Louis Blues (10-10-2) over the Atlanta Thrashers (8-12-2) 4-2
TOP PERFORMER = Blues RW Brad Boyes - 1 goal (PP/GW) & 1 assist
-David Backes got the Blues on the board first early in the 1st period. Colby Armstrong answered back for Atlanta 2 minutes later and Niclas Havelid would give the Thrashers the lead at 18:35 of the 1st. In the 2nd period, Keith Tkachuk scored on the power play in the 2nd period to tie the game for St. Louis. In the 3rd period, Brad Boyes would score on the power play to give the Blues the lead for good. Jay McClement would add an empty net goal. Chris Mason made 28 saves in the win while Ondrej Pavelec made 43 saves in the loss. This was the only game between the two teams this season.

Anaheim Ducks (14-8-3) over the Carolina Hurricanes (12-11-2) 4-1
TOP PERFORMER = Ducks C Ryan Getzlaf - 1 goal, 2 assists
- Ryan Getzlaf scored his 10th goal of the season almost two minutes in to the game. Matt Cullen would answer back 5 minutes later to tie the game at one. Both teams would stay scoreless in the 2nd, but Anaheim would rally late with three goals from Teemu Selanne (PPG) and Rob Niedermayer (2 goals). Rookie G Jonas Hiller made 36 saves in the win and Anaheim tied a team record by earning at least a point in their eighth consecutive road game. Carolina goalie Cam Ward left after the first period because of what was announced as a lower-body injury. He was replaced by Michael Leighton.

RUMOR MILL

-Panthers D Jay Bouwmeester is the new big name on the league trading block. Florida should be able to net a big return for him.

AROUND THE BOARDS

-The Colorado Avalanche placed D Adam Foote on injured reserve, retroactive to November 22, on Saturday. Foote is suffering from upper back and knee injuries and has just one assist in 19 games this season. The 37-year-old veteran was checked from behind by the Kings' John Zeiler late in the second period of last Saturday's 4-3 shootout victory over Los Angeles. Foote was motionless on the ice momentarily before eventually skating off hesitantly under his own power. Zeiler was suspended three games for the hit. In a corresponding move, Colorado recalled D Aaron MacKenzie from Lake Erie of the American Hockey League.

-The Ducks have recalled D Brett Festerling from the Iowa Chops (AHL). In addition, the Ducks have reassigned goaltender David LeNeveu to Iowa.

-The Ottawa Senators assigned D Brian Lee and forwards Cody Bass and Zack Smith to the Binghamton Senators (AHL).

-The Los Angeles Kings have assigned forward Brian Boyle to the Manchester Monarchs (AHL). Boyle, 23, has played in 14 games with the Kings this season, recording one goal and 12 penalty minutes.

GAME OF THE NIGHT
Anaheim Ducks (14-8-3) @ Detroit Red Wings (15-4-4) - 7:30PM

Detroit collected at least a point in seven of its first eight November contests (7-0-1), but has since posted a 1-2-1 mark. One of those losses was a 4-1 loss at Boston on Saturday night. Detroit boasts the second-best offense in the Western Conference with 82 goals, but has scored just nine times in its last four games. On the flip side, Anaheim has been on roll lately, yielding just three goals in winning its last four contests. The Ducks are coming off a 4-1 win over Carolina last night. Anaheim C Ryan Getzlaf currently has four goals and eight assists during an eight-game point streak. The Ducks are 7-2-1 on the road this season, but is 2-7-2 in Detroit since March 19, 2002.

Other Action:
Nashville (11-10-2) @ Buffalo (11-9-3) - 7PM
Vancouver (14-8-2) @ Columbus (10-10-3) - 7PM
Colorado (11-12-0) @ Minnesota (14-7-1) - 8PM
Toronto (8-9-6) @ Los Angeles (10-9-3) - 10:30PM

^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