FTS - 12/10/08

HEADLINES

-Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Hal Gill is out two to four weeks with a shoulder injury he suffered late in Saturday's loss at Ottawa. Gill was replaced Monday night by Ben Lovejoy, who was called up from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Gill is the fourth Penguins defenseman out with an injury, although Ryan Whitney could return as early as next week from offseason foot surgery. Sergei Gonchar is recovering from shoulder surgery and expected to return no sooner than late February. Phillippe Boucher is week to week with an undisclosed injury.

-Canucks' goaltender Roberto Luongo joined the team at practice on Tuesday for the second time since injuring his groin on November 22, but says there is still no timeline for his return. "It's day-by-day right now," Luongo told TSN in Nashville. "I don't really want to set a date because I don't want to disappoint myself if I'm not able to make that game." The 29-year-old also stressed the importance of making a full recovery before returning to action. "You want to make sure that once you come back, you don't have a recurring injury," Luongo said. "You want to make sure that once you're back, you're one hundred per cent, you feel comfortable and you're not really thinking about it." The Canucks' captain has been working out since last week and says his condition is getting better. Luongo is 11-5-2 with a 2.17 GAA and five shutouts this season.

-Sabres goalie Ryan Miller on Tuesday accused an NHL referee of using a profanity in response to a question the player asked during Buffalo's 4-3 win at Pittsburgh a night earlier. Miller told several reporters after practice that the exchange occurred during the second period Monday, after he said he respectfully asked a referee a question. Miller wouldn't say which of the two referees working the game (Tim Peel or Justin St. Pierre) had made the comment. He also didn't say what he had asked the official. "To be honest, I was respectful," Miller said. In an e-mail to The Associated Press, NHL spokesman Frank Brown said he was checking with the league's hockey operations department regarding Miller's complaint. The goalie raised the issue after he was asked what he discussed with coach Lindy Ruff at the end of practice. Miller said he joked with Ruff that the exchange with the official might have played a factor a few minutes later when the Sabres were issued a bench minor penalty for arguing an interference penalty against Thomas Vanek. Ruff wasn't available for comment because he had spoken to reporters before Miller.

Marian Gaborik could be returning to the lineup soon:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=3758400

LAST NIGHT'S RECAP

Philadelphia Flyers (14-7-6) over the New York Islanders (10-16-2) 4-3
TOP PERFORMER = Flyers LW Simon Gagne - 1 Goal (PP & GW)

The Islanders would jump out to a 2-0 lead in the 1st period thanks to goals from Andy Hilbert (PPG) and Doug Weight. Aaron Asham would cut the lead to one heading in to the intermission. In the 2nd period, Darroll Powe and Jeff Carter (his 20th of the season) put the Flyers up 3-2. In the 3rd period, Blake Comeau tied the game on a feed from Josh Bailey and Bill Guerin. 9 minutes later, Simon Gagne would give the Flyers the lead and the win on the power play. Martin Biron made 24 saves in his 9th straight win against the Isles while Yann Danis made 21 saves for New York as they gave Joey MacDonald a much needed rest. The Isles fell to 7-15-2 against Eastern Conference teams this season.

Montreal Canadiens (16-6-5) over the Calgary Flames (16-11-1) 4-1
TOP PERFORMER = Canadiens C Robert Lang - 2 Goals, 1 Assist
-Robert Lang put the Canadiens on the board early in the 1st period on a feed from Alexei Kovalev and Andre Markov. In the 2nd period, Matt D'Agostini continued on his mini-hot streak to put Montreal up 2-0. Dustin Boyd cut the lead down to one, but Robert Lang would answer back late in the 2nd period to regain a two goal lead. In the 3rd, Andrei Markov tallied the final goal of the game for the Canadiens. Alexei Kovalev and Alex Tanguay each had two assists and Jaroslav Halak made 32 saves for the win. Montreal improved to 9-2-3 at home this season. Calgary has scored a total of 11 goals in its last eight losses.

Vancouver Canucks (16-10-3) over the Nashville Predators (14-12-2) 3-1
TOP PERFORMER = Canucks D Alexander Edler - 1 Goal (PPG, GWG)
-Pavol Demitra opened the scoring for Vancouver on a feed from Kyle Wellwood in the 1st period. Radek Bonk would answer back three minutes later on the power play with his 2nd goal of the season. Alexander Edler netted a power play goal :24 seconds in to the 3rd period and Alexandre Burrows would add an empty net goal. Curtis Sanford made 20 saves in the win. Nashville right wing Jordin Tootoo was scratched from his first game this season with a lower body injury and is day-to-day.The Predators dropped to 3-2-0 in the second of back-to-back games.

Colorado Avalanche (14-13-1) over the Los Angeles Kings (11-12-4) 6-1
TOP PERFORMER = LW Cody McLeod - 2 Goals
-Marek Svatos, Milan Hejduk, and Cody McLeod each scored in the 1st period to make it a long night for Kings G Jason LaBarbera. In the 2nd period, Ryan Smith (PPG), McLeod and Chris Stewart (SH) would make it 6-0 before Oscar Moller (PPG) would break the shutout for Peter Budaj (29 saves). The Avalanche are now 3-0 against the Kings this season.

RUMOR MILL

-Nothing to report today

AROUND THE BOARDS

-The Vancouver Canucks acquired a conditional 2009 draft pick from the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday for defenceman James Sharrow. Vancouver acquired Sharrow from the Atlanta Thrashers in 2007 for forward Jesse Schultz. Sharrow, 23, never dressed for an NHL game with Vancouver. He had registered 28 points (six goals, 22 assists) in 61 games with the AHL's Manitoba Moose. Atlanta drafted Sharrow in the fourth round (110th overall) in the 2003 NHL entry draft.

-The Montreal Canadiens will be without the services Mathieu Dandenault indefinitely after the forward/defenceman suffered a broken left arm in Tuesday's 4-1 victory over the Calgary Flames.
Dandenault left the game 14:58 into the second period with his arm dangling after he was hit into the corner from an odd angle by Flames forward Dustin Boy. The hit is what appeared to have caused the injury. Forward Christopher Higgins also suffered an ''upper body'' injury in the contest. He will have an MRI on Wednesday to asses the extent of the injury. Higgins left 15 minutes into the opening period with what looked like a shoulder injury after a hit into the boards.

-Here's a complete wrap-up of the 2008 NHL Board of Governor's Meetings in Florida:

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=259070&lid=sublink04&lpos=headlines_nhl

GAME OF THE NIGHT
Boston Bruins (19-4-4) @ Washington Capitals (15-10-3) - 7PM
The Boston Bruins have won five in a row, 14 of 16 and have dropped just one game in regulation since Oct. 30. The Washington Capitals club are 10-1-1 at home. Talk about a clash of titans. Boston will be going for its third straight road win as the Caps try to bounce back from a tough division loss to the Hurricanes. Bruins G Tim Thomas, second in the NHL with a 1.90 goals-against average, is 8-1-1 with a 1.86 GAA since a 3-2 loss to Calgary on Oct. 30. Jose Theodore, who made 22 saves Sunday, hasn't faced Boston in more than three years. He went 2-0-0 with a 2.01 GAA against the Bruins in October 2005 while with Montreal. The Capitals won both home games versus Boston last season after losing the previous five in Washington. This one is going to be a classic, folks.

Other Action:
Tampa Bay (6-13-8) @ Buffalo (13-11-3) - 7PM
Pittsburgh (15-8-4) @ New Jersey (14-8-2) - 7PM
NY Rangers (18-10-2) @ Atlanta (9-14-3) - 7PM
Calgary (16-11-1) @ Detroit (18-4-4) - 7:30PM
Ottawa (10-10-5) @ Chicago (12-6-7) - 8:30PM
Phoenix (12-13-2) @ Dallas (10-12-4) - 8:30PM
St. Louis (12-11-3) @ Anaheim (15-10-3) - 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

FTS - 12/8/08

TOP STORY

VANEK CHILLS PENGUINS LATE

(Photo Credit: AP)

Vanek scores his league-leading 20th goal for the win in Pittsburgh

Buffalo Sabres (13-11-3) over the Pittsburgh Penguins (15-8-4) 4-3
TOP PERFORMER = Penguins LW Ruslan Fedotkeno - 2 Goals

If there are two teams that would make for a perfect match-up in a playoff series, these two teams would easily go seven games. No matter how good (Pittsburgh) one team is or if the other is slumping (Buffalo), they always put on a good show on the ice. Last night was no different.

Ruslan Fedotenko (who now has 250 career points) opened up the scoring midway through the 1st period on a feed from Evgeni Malkin and Petr Sykora (both would end the game with two assists). Derek Roy evened things up 90 seconds later, but Fedotenko would score his 2nd goal of the game four minutes after that. In the 2nd period, Kris Letang scored his first goal of the season on the power play to give the Penguins a 3-1 lead. Buffalo would battle back with goals from Ales Kotalik and Daniel Paille to close out the 2nd period. In the 3rd period, Thomas Vanek potted his 20th goal of the season to give the Sabres the lead for good. Ryan Miller made 29 saves in the win while Dany Sabourin made 25 saves in the loss. "At 3-1, we started to play horribly," Penguins coach Michel Therrien said. "It was a horrible performance. That's the truth."

The Sabres ended a three-game losing streak at Pittsburgh and have now won two in a row. Last season, Vanek did not score his 10th until his 31st game and did not tally his 20th until his 56th contest. He is on pace for 60 goals this season. The Penguins were only 1-for-8 on the power play, and the one goal came during a five-on-three. "I thought our penalty killers did a good job," Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. "We put ourselves in a pretty tight spot, let them have some five-on-threes. There was some real good desperation."

Next up for the Sabres is a home game against the lowly Lightning on Wednesday while the Penguins travel to Newark to take on the Devils on Wednesday as well.

OTHER HEADLINES

-A report that the Buffalo Sabres are discussing a sale of the team was denied Monday by a Sabres minority owner. "We are not in negotiations to sell the team and as we have stated in the past, we will never entertain discussions to move the team out of Buffalo," said Larry Quinn in an e-mailed statement. Tom Golisano is the majority owner of the Sabres. He bought the team out of bankruptcy in 2003. Quinn was responding a report in Western New York Hockey magazine which claimed that talks about selling the team are ongoing, though in an exploratory stage. The report, which cited unnamed sources, said that Canadian businessman Jim Balsillie, the founder of Research in Motion, has been approached. It also said that the team, if sold, would play part of its season in Hamilton, Ontario. The report comes on the first day of the NHL Board of Governors meetings in West Palm Beach, Fla. A number of NHL owners are reportedly unhappy with rising costs throughout the league. Richard Rodier, Balsillie's lawyer, issued an e-mail statement which said: "From time to time reports surface quoting anonymous sources claiming a club is for sale, or that Jim is doing this or that with respect to a particular club. These reports have generally been inaccurate.

LAST NIGHT'S RECAP

Boston Bruins (19-4-4) over the Tampa Bay Lightning (6-13-8) 5-3
TOP PERFORMER = Bruins C Phil Kessel - 1 Goal, 1 Assist
-Milan Lucic, Phil Kessel and Michael Ryder scored in the opening 10:46 and the Boston Bruins coasted to their 14th win in 16 games, 5-3 over the struggling Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday night. Zdeno Chara had a power-play goal in the second period and P.J. Axelsson added an empty-netter to help the Bruins win their fifth straight. The Bruins have won 10 straight home games, their longest home winning streak since 1982-83, when they won 11 consecutive games. The NHL's new rules have not helped them extend the streak: All 10 wins have been achieved without going to overtime or a shootout, making the Bruins the first NHL team to win nine or more consecutive home games in regulation time since the Red Wings in 2006-07. The Bruins have outscored their opponents 51-21 during the streak despite having one less shot on goal (308) than their opponents (309).

Florida Panthers (12-12-3) over the Ottawa Senators (10-10-5) 4-3 OT
TOP PERFORMER = Panthers D Jay Bouwmeester - 1 Goal (PPG, GTG), 30:54 of ice time
-Chris Kelly opened up the scoring for Ottawa 7:31 in to the 1st period. About four minutes later, Nick Boynton would tie the game for Florida. In the 2nd period, Dany Heatley, Michal Repik (1st of the season), Jason Spezza and Jay Bouwmeester (PPG) would alternate goals in a seven minute span. The team's would remain scoreless in the 3rd, but Stephen Weiss would end the game with 9.1 seconds remaining in OT on a hard shot from the blueline over Alex Auld's shoulder. Auld made 36 saves in the loss while Craig Anderson made 35 saves to go to 7-2-3 on the season.

Toronto Maple Leafs (10-12-6) over the New York Islanders (10-15-2) 4-2
TOP PERFORMER = Maple Leafs LW Jason Blake - 1 Goal, 2 Assists
-The Maple Leafs and Islanders would be even at 1 after the 1st period thanks to goals from Nikolai Kulemin and Bill Guerin (his 11th of the season). In the 2nd period, Ian White and Mike Sillinger (first goal of the season for Sillinger) traded power play goals before Jason Blake would score the eventual game-winner right before the intermission. In the 3rd period, Jeremy Williams scored his first goal of the season to seal the win. Vesa Toskala made 26 saves in the win while Joey MacDonald made 33 saves in the loss. The Maple Leafs are 7-1-1 in their last eight home games against the Islanders.

St. Louis Blues (12-11-3) over the Nashville Predators (14-11-2) 6-3
TOP PERFORMER = Blues RW BJ Crombeen - 3 Goals, 1 Assist

-Antti Pihlstrom scored his first career goal on the power play to open the scoring for Nashville. BJ Crombeen scored with :41 seconds remaining in the first to knot the game at 1. In the 2nd period, Kevin Klein put the Predators ahead for a bit, b ut Alexander Steen and Patrik Berglund would both score 5 on 3 goals to give St. Louis the lead. :35 seconds later, JP Dumont tied the game back up at 3. In the 3rd period, Crombeen would give St. Louis the lead for good. Brad Boyes (100th career goal) and Crombeen would again score to cushion the lead and the win. Manny Legace made 18 saves in the win while Preds backup goalie Pekka Rinne made 20 saves in his first NHL loss. St. Louis is 5-1-1 in its last seven home games vs. Nashville. Nashville F Scott Nichol played in his 400th career game.

RUMOR MILL

-More Jay Bouwmeester news. It looks like the Avalanche are showing some interest in him now. With their goalie tandem of Budaj and Raycroft, having a 30-minute man like Bouwmeester patroling the blueline would help to keep goals down for a team that likes to outscore the other team.

AROUND THE BOARDS

-The NHL named it's 3 Stars of the Week:
http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=396857

-Radim Vrbata's season with the Tampa Bay Lightning is over. The free-agent winger, who was signed to a three-year, $9 million free-agent contract in the off-season is apparently heading home to the Czech Republic to finish the season there. The Lightning will apparently not be responsible for paying him for the balance of this season but the contract will remain in force for the second and third years should he choose to return to the NHL. "Radim is a great guy and he came into our office on Sunday morning and just told us his confidence is low and he would like to head home to the Czech Republic to finish the season,” Lightning owner Oren Koules told TSN. “He just wants to take the rest of the year off (from the NHL) and try to get his game back over there. If he wants to come back next season, great. That's his call. This is all very amicable. He's a great guy who's really struggling right now.” Vrbata scored 27 goals last season but has only three this year. Vrbata was put on waivers Monday and it's expected he will clear Tuesday. That would free Vrbata up for assignment to a Czech team if he chooses to play there, but in any case, his salary for this season will go off the Lightning books and they will not be responsible for paying him or having his salary count against the salary cap. The Lightning also placed forward Chris Gratton on waivers. Gratton played most of his 14-year career with the Lightning after being drafted third overall by the club in 1993. The Lightning re-signed him to a one-year contract in July. Gratton, 33, has two assists in 18 games with the Lightning this season and has 214 goals and 567 points in 1,086 career games.
-Pittsburgh Penguins forward Tyler Kennedy, fourth on the team in scoring, was placed on the IR and will miss four to six weeks because of a sprained knee. Kennedy was injured Wednesday in the Penguins' game against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. Kennedy has six goals and nine assists in 24 games.

-The KHL announced Thursday its first ever All-Star Game will be held outdoors Jan. 10 at Red Square. Team Yashin, featuring Russian-born players and led by former New York Islanders center Alexei Yashin, will take on Team Jagr, made up of players from the rest of the world and captained by former New York Rangers star winger Jaromir Jagr. Fans can vote online for the starting lineup at http://www.khl.ru/media/votes.php. Voting ends Dec. 22 at noon Moscow time. Sergei Mikhalev, head coach of defending Russian league champion Salavat Yulaeva, will be head coach of Team Yashin. Team Jagr will be coached by former Detroit Red Wings assistant coach Barry Smith, the current coach of SKA St. Petersburg.

GAME OF THE NIGHT
Calgary Flames (16-10-1) @ Montreal Canadiens (15-6-5) - 7:30PM

The Flames, tied with Vancouver for first place in the Northwest Division, have won five of their last six and seven of nine and are coming off a 3-0 victory over the Rangers on Sunday. Flames RW David Moss has scored in four straight games. G Miikka Kiprusoff has started 12 consecutive games and 26 of Calgary's 27 contests this season. He 5-1-0 with a 1.83 goals-against average in his last six games overall, but 0-2-0 with a 4.06 GAA in two career starts at Montreal. The Canadiens are looking to bounce back after their three-game winning streak was snapped Saturday in a 2-1 overtime loss to visiting New Jersey. Rookie Matt D'Agostini scored for the third straight game, but the Devils scored a power-play goal 31 seconds into overtime. Montreal went 0-for-5 on the power play, and is 1-for-19 in the last five games. Its opponents, meanwhile, are 4-for-17 during that stretch. This will be the first game for Montreal's Alex Tanguay against his former team. Tanguay, acquired from Calgary on June 20 for two draft picks, has nine goals and nine assists this season after spending the past two years with the Flames. Montreal has won three straight over Calgary at home since a 3-1 loss on Dec. 13, 2000.

Other Action:
NY Islanders (10-15-2) @ Philadelphia (13-7-6) - 7PM
Vancouver (15-10-3) @ Nashville (14-11-2) - 8PM
Los Angeles (15-10-3) @ Colorado (13-13-1) - 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 - 12/8/08

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

PLUS/MINUS

Who wouldn't love a Stanley Cup Finals between San Jose and Boston with Joe Thornton right in the middle of things

1) San Jose Sharks {22-3-1} (EVEN)
2-0-1 week (won vs. TOR, vs. CLB, OTL vs. EDM)
The red hot Sharks kept up their great play to stay atop P/M for the 6th straight week. The overtime loss to Edmonton snapped their 9 game winning streak. Their only back to back losses came before that streak (one of them was in OT as well). The Sharks have yet to lose in regulation at home. They have the 5th best power play (23%) in the league and the 8th best penalty kill (83.5%) in the league backing them up.

2) Boston Bruins {18-4-4} (EVEN)
2-0-0 week (won @ TB, won @ FLA)
Meet San Jose-East. The Bruins are beating up on the bad teams and they are taking care of business against the good teams. Both Tim Thomas and Manny Fernandez are at the top of their games right now between the pipes. It will be interesting to see if Boston decides to make any moves to improve the team even more or stand pat.

3) Detroit Red Wings {18-4-4} (+2)
3-0-0 week (won vs. ANA, won vs. VAN, won vs. CHI)
The Red Wings are having a ridiculous season (as expected), but it's being overshadowed by San Jose's dominance. The Red Wings won three, tough one-goal games this week and their momentum is starting to build more and more. The Red Wings PP is still tops in the league at 30.3%.

4) Montreal Canadiens {15-6-5} (+2)
2-0-1 week (won vs. ATL, vs. NYR, OTL vs. NJ)
It's amazing that the Northeast Division has two of the top five records in the NHL right now. Montreal is doing exactly what was expected of them so far this season. They still need one more piece to the puzzle to compete with the three teams above them in P/M. Their one flaw is their 25th ranked power play. Alexei Kovalev needs to find some of that magic he had with the man-advantage from last season.

5) New York Rangers {18-10-2} (-2)
1-0-2 week (win vs. PIT, lost @ MON, lost vs. CAL)
This easily was the worst week of the season by the Rangers. With five of their next six on the road, they need to take advantage of Atlanta on Wednesday night to right the ship. I've said this numerous times in this blog, but the Rangers need to play three periods of hockey, not just the 3rd period. Their awful 22nd ranked power play (15.4%) needs to stop going for the highlight-reel goal and start banging home garbage goals. Their one saving grace right now is they own the top penalty kill (90.1%) in the league.

6) Pittsburgh Penguins {15-7-4} (-2)
1-1-1 week (SOL @ NYR, win @ CAR, lost @ OTT)
The Penguins could have easily had a 3-0-0 week, but they blew a two goal lead @ MSG (for the 2nd time this season) and couldn't find a way to beat a scrappy Senators team. Pittsburgh can't afford too many weeks like that with their struggles against the Rangers combined with the Devils and Flyers gaining on them in points.

7) Calgary Flames {16-10-1} (+3)
2-1-0 week (lost vs. DAL, won @ STL, won @ NYR)
Discount the Dallas loss right away because you could tell the team was so relieved to play without Sean Avery in the lineup that they probably could have beaten San Jose that night. Miikka Kiprusoff is beginning to find his All-World form that we all know him for. They have won 7 of their past 10, 5 of their past 6, and have surged to the top of the Northwest Division.

8) Washington Capitals {15-10-3} (+1)
2-2-0 week (lost vs. FLA, won vs. NYI, won @ TOR, lost @ CAR)
They moved up only because so many other teams moved down. They took care of business against bad teams, but lost two divisional games they probably should have won. The Caps have the 8th best power play (22.3%) but must improve their 24th ranked penalty kill if they want all of those goals they score to count more (78.4%)

9) Anaheim Ducks {15-10-3} (-1)
1-2-0 week (lost @ DET, lost @ CHI, won vs. CLB)
Anaheim had two tough road games to close out their trip 1-2, but rebounded nicely against a mediocre Blue Jackets team. I'd like to see G Jean-Sebastian Giguere buckle down and start racking up some more wins. The rest of the December schedule has Anaheim playing only two sub-.500 teams. If they can survive this stretch, they should be in the running for the 4th spot in the West the rest of the way (yes that means I've already handed the Pacific to San Jose).

10) Chicago Blackhawks {12-6-7} (+3)
2-0-1 week (won vs. ANA, SOL @ DET, won vs. PHO)
An impressive week for a team that's really playing solid hockey right now. The Blackhawks are really gelling and are one more all-around forward away from being a really scary team to play in the West. Their 6th ranked power play (22.9%) is a big reason for their success this season. Is anyone else already looking forward to the Winter Classic at Wrigley Field in a few weeks?

11) Vancouver Canucks {15-10-3} (EVEN)
1-2-1 week (lost @ CLB, @ DET, won @ MIN, SOL @ COL)
The Canucks only win came against a team they own this year in the Minnesota Wild. Rookie G Cory Schneider is holding his own in net right now, going 1-2-1 this season in the absence of Roberto Luongo. The Canucks have a tolerable schedule for the month of December and should be right back in the thick of the Top 10 once Luongo comes back.

12) Minnesota Wild {15-10-1} (-5)
1-3-0 week (lost vs. COL, won vs. STL, lost vs. VAN, lost @ NAS)
Minnesota tried to run and gun with Colorado and it didn't work. They hammered St. Louis, but was beaten at their own game by Vancouver and Nashville. The loss to the Canucks was their 3rd of the season and they need to start taking care of busines against them in their remaining three games. Calgary getting hot wasn't a help to this team either. Minnesota still holds the 2nd best power play (25.4%) and penalty kill in the league at (88.7%)

13) New Jersey Devils {14-8-2} (+1)
2-0-0 week (won @ PHI, won @ MON)
A very impressive week for a team that people left for dead (including myself) when Brodeur went down. G Scott Clemmensen has really stepped his game up, going 6-3-0 since the Brodeur injury (poor Kevin Weekes). They finished their five game road trip at 4-1 and three of the wins came in OT. The Devils will get a good test at home this week with games against Pittsburgh, the Rangers, and Buffalo. They would be in even better shape if they can get their special teams out of the bottom 3rd of the league in both categories.

14) Philadelphia Flyers {13-7-6} (+2)
2-0-1 week (won vs TB, OTL vs. NJ, won @ CAR)
The Flyers played three games in OT this past week. Despite not having Daniel Briere in the lineup for most of the season, Philly is playing well. Head Coach John Stevens has both of his special teams units playing at the top of their games right now as well (PP is at 23.6% - 4th in the league; PK is at 85.8% - 5th in the league).

15) Nashville Predators {14-10-2} (+2)
3-0-0 week (won @ BUF, vs. COL, vs. MIN)
A 3-0-0 week usually gets you more than a two positon boost, but two of the wins came against bad teams. Also, I need to see more consistency out of this team before I move them too much higher. Backup goalie Pekka Rinne has been a blessing for the Predators while Dan Ellis has been dealing with nagging injuries on and off. He has gone 6-0-0 this season for Nashville.

16) Carolina Hurricanes {13-12-3} (-4)
1-1-1 week (lost vs. PIT, OTL vs., PHI, won vs. WAS)
The win over Washington saved Carolina from a really bad week. Peter Laviolette was fired and starting goalie Cam Ward was put on the IR. If Carolina could get their 29th ranked power play clicking (13.5%), it would make a world of difference for the them and get them competitive with the rest of the Eastern Conference.

17) Buffalo Sabres {12-11-3} (-2)
1-2-0 week (lost vs. NAS, lost @ FLA, won @ TB)
It's amazing how different a team can play from one half of the season to the next. Buffalo was 8-2-3 through their first 13, but are 4-9-0 since then. It seems like Buffalo plays hard against the better teams in the league, but can't get going against the teams at their level or below them. A brightspot is their penalty kill being 3rd in the league at 88.1%.

18) Edmonton Oilers {13-11-2} (+6)
3-0-0 week (won vs. DAL, won @ LA, won @ SJ)
Edmonton continued their streaky ways of the season, but this time it benefited them. Any time a team can knock off the mighty Sharks should come as a huge ego boost to the team. They've won three in a row and should be able to build on that momentum with three home games coming up in the next week. If they could improve their 29th ranked penalty kill (75.2%), they might be able to make the Norhtwest Divison a four-pony race.

19) Colorado Avalanche {13-13-1} (+6)
2-1-1 week (won @ MIN, lost @ NAS, SOL @ DAL, win vs. VAN)
The Avalanche showed flashes of the team we saw rattle off five wins in a row earlier in the season. G Peter Budaj has been playing better for the Avs than he was earlier in the season, but I would really like to see what type of team this would be if they had a better goalie.

20) Los Angeles Kings {11-11-4} (-2)
1-2-1 week (lost vs. TOR, lost @ PHO, SOL vs. EDM, won vs. CLB)
A shutout win by Jason LaBarbera was the only thing that kept the Kings from following up a very good week with a very bad week. What you're seeing from the Kings throuhgout the season is what you should continue to expect from them. I like the hustle on their 6th ranked PK (83.9%). It'll be interesting to see how rookie G Erik Ersberg responds to LaBarbera getting more of the playing time lately.

21) St. Louis Blues {11-11-3} (+1)
1-1-1 week (lost @ MIN, OTL vs. CAL, won vs. PHO)
The Blues are still finding their way, but they are slowly playing better hockey. If they can get their goaltending situation consistent between Chris Mason and Manny Legace, they might be able to string some wins together.

22) Columbus Blue Jackets {11-13-3} (-3)
1-3-0 week (won vs. VAN, lost @ SJ, LA, ANA)
Columbus is another one of those teams that has good up weeks and bad down weeks. They looked sharp against Vancouver but the California road trip wasn't kind to them at all. I was impressed with how well they played against San Jose and was in control of that game for the first half of it. You know your team has problems when their power play isn't even in the double digits (a league worst 9.6%).

23) Florida Panthers {11-12-3} (+3)
2-1 week (won @ WAS, vs. BUF, lost vs. BOS)
The Panthers have won three of their past four and have earned points in six of their past seven games. It's a shame this team is about to have a firesale because with the way Buffalo has played lately and the problems in Carolina, Florida could hang around in the 8-10 area in the conference throughout the season. They open up with a give game road trip (4 of the games in Canada) tonight in Ottawa.

24) Phoenix Coyotes {12-13-2} (-1)
2-2-0 week (won vs. LA, TOR, lost @ STL and CHI)
Just when it looked like the Coyotes were beginning to get a little bit of momentum and string something together, they lose a close one at St. Louis and then get smacked by the Blackhawks. Head Coach Wayne Gretzky HAS to figure out a way to improve their 26th ranked power play.

25) Ottawa Senators {10-10-4} (+4)
2-0 week (won vs. ATL and vs PIT)
Ottawa is an enigmatic team this year. They are playing up and down hockey, but have the tools to contend in the East. The fact that they appear to be looking to add talent to their lineup means they still think they can make a push in the East. The jury is still out on that for me, but their December schedule provides them with chances to get consistently above .500.

26) Dallas Stars {10-12-4} (+1)
2-1-0 week (won @ CAL, lost @ EDM, won vs. COL)
The Sean Avery suspension actually appeared to help this team instead of hurt it. They got their first back to back wins of the season and have now won three of their past four (Avery was in the lineup for the first win). Dallas has three more games (PHO, DET, @ NAS) before Avery's return and could easily take two of those games. Wouldn't it be funny if Avery's affect on the Rangers lineup (if you don't remember, they won a lot more with him in the lineup than without him) had the opposite affect on the Stars lineup.

27) New York Islanders {10-14-2} (-7)
0-2 week (lost @ WAS, lost vs. ATL)
There's not much to say about this Islanders team other than they are playing at the level everyone expected them to play at (not a good thing). Joey MacDonald has now started in 16 straight games for the Isles.

28) Toronto Maple Leafs {9-12-6} (-7)
1-3-0 week (won @ LA, lost @ SJ, @ PHO, vs. WAS)
There's not much to say about this team right now either except the fact that Vesa Toskala is playing better than his numbers show. The rest of Toronto's December schedule gives them a chance to get back to and hover around the .500 mark if they can take advantage of the right opponents.

29) Atlanta Thrashers {9-14-3} (EVEN)
1-2-0 week (lost @ MON, @ OTT, won @ NY)
The 3 game road trip went as expected for the Thrashers. The team needs to stick with Johan Hedberg in net and see what he can do for them throughout the season. I know they are trying to develop Ondrej Pavelec, but he is losing (2-5-0) a lot more than he's winning and that won't be good for his confidence.

30) Tampa Bay Lightning {6-12-8} (EVEN)
0-2-1 week (OTL @ PHI, lost vs. BOS, lost vs. BUF)
The Lightning have lost seven in a row and it doesn't appear like it will end any time soon. They have a four game Northwest road trip (everyone but Toronto), come home for one game, and hit the road again for three games befoe finishing 2008 with two home games. This could be an incredibly long season for Vinny Lecavalier and co.

BIGGEST GAINER = Edmonton Oilers, Colorado Avalanche (+6)
BIGGEST LOSER = NY Islanders, Toronto Maple Leafs (-7)
-14 Teams Moved Up
-11 Teams Moved Down
-5 Teams Remained Even

FTS - 12/8/08

TOP STORY

FLAMES LIGHT UP MSG

(Photo Credit: AP)

The New York Rangers flame out at home against Calgary

Calgary Flames (16-10-1) over the New York Rangers (18-10-2) 3-0

TOP PERFORMER = Flames G Miika Kiprusoff - 31 Saves, Shutout

The ticket stub may have said it was the Rangers home game, but it was Calgary temperatures outside of Madison Square Garden and the Flames looked as comfortable on the MSG ice as they would have in the Pengrowth Saddledome. The Flames continued their hot streak by winning their 5th game in their past 6 and 7th of their last 10 in the 3-0 shutout win over the Rangers last night.

The teams would remain scoreless after the 1st period. In the 2nd, Jarome Iginila would position himself by the crease and put back a rebound to give the Flames the only goal they would need in the game. In the 3rd period, David Moss (who has a goal in four straight games) scored almost two minutes in and Rene Bourque would add a late shorthanded goal to seal the deal for Calgary. Miikka Kiprusoff looked like the All-World goalie he can be by turning away 31 shots.

The Rangers lost their third in four games, including a pair of home shutout losses (their only two regulation blankings this season). New York has been outscored 15-4 in that span and hasn't won in regulation since topping Phoenix at home on Nov. 24. This is easily their worst week of the season so far. Their power play is so bad that giving up shorthanded goals (an NHL worst 8 SH goals allowed) has become a regular occurance. They have only converted 3 of their past 30 power play attempts. D Wade Redden missed the game due to a right leg injury sustained Thursday at Montreal. Corey Potter was recalled from Hartford (AHL) and made his NHL debut in Redden's place. Next up for the Rangers is the Thrashers in Atlanta on Wednesday night.

The Flames are making a surge in the Northwest Divison and now hold the 1st place tie-breaker over Vancouver for the lead. The Flames are 2-0 so far on the four game road trip and will be in Montreal to take on the Canadiens tomorrow night.

OTHER HEADLINES

-The Toronto Maple Leafs announced Saturday that Dave Nonis has been named senior vice president of hockey operations."David Nonis brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to our hockey staff," said Leafs President and General Manager Brian Burke in a statement. "We have successfully worked together in the past, and he has a deep understanding of contractual, legal and financial matters as well as scouting and roster management. He'll be an asset to our organization in several areas." Nonis, 42, worked under Burke for six years as the Senior Vice President and Director of Hockey Operations for the Vancouver Canucks before replacing him in 2004. He was most recently the Anaheim Ducks' senior advisor of hockey operations.

-The Carolina Hurricanes placed goaltender Cam Ward on the IR with a groin problem. Ward is 8-7-2 with a 2.68 goals-against average and .911 save percentage in 18 games this season. In a related move, the Hurricanes recalled defenseman Brett Carson from Albany of the American Hockey League. Carson has yet to appear in an NHL game.

LAST NIGHT'S RECAP

Carolina Hurricanes (13-12-3) over the Washington Capitals (15-10-3) 3-1
TOP PERFORMER = Hurricanes LW Ray Whitney - 2 goals
-Ray Whitney got the Hurricanes on the board in the 1st period on a feed from Joni Pitkanen and Rod Brind'Amour. Both teams would go scoreless in the 2nd period. In the 3rd, Nicklas Backstrom would tie it up for the Caps on the power play about halfway in to the period. Seven minutes later, Eric Staal would give Carolina the lead for good and Ray Whitney would tack on another goal two minutes later. Carolina defenseman Anton Babchuk left the game because of a right arm injury. He did not return. Scott Walker returned to action for Carolina after missing four games with a leg injury. Michael Leighton made 38 saves for Carolina in Paul Maurice's first win in his second stint as head coach of the team.

Chicago Blackhawks (12-6-7) over the Phoenix Coyotes (12-13-2) 7-1
TOP PERFORMER = Blackhawks LW Andrew Ladd - 1 Goal, 3 Assists)
-The Blackhawks came out an absolutely smacked the Coyotes at the United Center yesterday. Dave Bolland, Jonathan Toews, Dustin Byfuglien and Patrick Sharp (PPG) would all score goals in the 1st period. In the 2nd period, Ben Eager would score twice and Andrew Ladd added a goal before Enver Lisin finally got Phoenix on the board. Cristobal Huet made 20 saves in the win. Chicago's KrisVersteeg, the NHL rookie's scoring leader with 22 points, fought Phoenix rookie Kyle Turris following a scrum with just over a second remaining in the third period. Versteeg received an instigator, fighting major and two game misconduct penalties. The 19-year-old Turris was assessed only a fighting major. Gretzky was fuming on the bench as the game ended, but calm after the contest. "What happened in the last 5 seconds, I don't like to see an 18-year-old kid (Turris) get grabbed out of a pile in a 7-1 hockey game and take a beating like that," Gretzky said. "I don't think there's any room for that. "I've never seen anything like that. In a 7-1 hockey game, to me it doesn't make a lot of sense."

Colorado Avalanche (13-13-1) over the Vancouver Canucks (15-10-3) 5-4 (SO)
TOP PERFORMER = Avalanche RW Milan Hejduk - 1 Goal, 2 Assists
-Darcy Hordichuk put Vancouver on the board in the 1st period on a set up from Jason Jaffray and Jannik Hansen. In the 2nd period, Colorado would score two straight goals from David Jones and Ryan Smith. Daniel Sedin and Steve Bernier (PPG) answered back with two of their own goals to take the lead heading in to the 3rd period. Milan Hejduk tied it up for the Avs early in the 3rd period, but Steve Bernier answered back again for Vancouver. The Canucks would hold on until 3 minutes to go when Daniel Tjarnqvist tied the game for Colorado. In the shootout, all three shooters (Wojtek Wolski, Marek Svatos, Hejduk) would all score to get Colorado back to .500. C Paul Stastny chipped in with three assists for the Avs. Vancouver defenseman Sami Salo left the game in the first period because of a groin injury.

Anaheim Ducks (15-10-3) over the Columbus Blue Jackets (11-13-3) 5-3
TOP PERFORMER = Ducks C Ryan Getzlaf - 2 Goals
-Both Anaheim and Columbus would go scoreless in the 1st period. In the 2nd period, Ryan Getzlaf would score twice and Ryan Carter would add a goal to give Anaheim a 3-1 lead heading in to the 3rd period (Derrick Brassard scored on the PP for the lone Blue Jackets goal). Bobby Ryan gave the Ducks a 4-1 lead early in the 3rd period. Columbus would battle back late with goals from Kris Russell and Frederik Modin. Rob Niedermayer would put the game away 11 seconds after Modin's goal.

RUMOR MILL
-Jay Bouwmeester to the Senators is really getting some legs in a big multiplayer deal

-Mats Sundin could sign somewhere this week. Still the usual candidates in play (Montreal, Vancouver, NY Rangers, Chicago)

-The Devils, who were originally looking at Dwayne Roloson in Edmonton, are now looking at Mathieu Garon instead

-Panthers C Nathan Horton could be on the move soon as Florida continus their firesale

AROUND THE BOARDS
-Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Luke Schenn left Saturday's 2-1 defeat at the hands of the Washington Capitals after suffering an undisclosed lower body injury. Although the team did not disclose the injury, it was stated that he would be out for at least two weeks. Schenn, the fifth overall pick in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, has tallied two assists in 27 games this season. Toronto forward Niklas Hagman also left the game and did not return after receiving a knee to the head. His injury was also undisclosed and his status is unknown. Hagman has tallied eight goals and 11 assists in 27 games this season.

-The Washington Capitals have recalled the AHL's leading goal scorer, forward Alexandre Giroux from the Hershey Bears. He has played 10 career NHL games, but none since the 2006-07 season when he suited up for nine games with Washington. He has four NHL points (2g-2a) on his resume, all of which have come while wearing a Capitals sweater. Giroux made his NHL debut during the 2005-06 season with the New York Rangers, but played only one game. He leads the AHL in goals (18) and is second in points (30) behind fellow Hershey teammate Keith Aucoin (36), who was called up by the Capitals on Dec. 4.

GAME OF THE NIGHT
Buffalo Sabres (12-11-3) @ Pittsburgh Penguins (15-7-4) - 7:30PM
Buffalo hasn't scored more than four goals since Nov. 1, and it's scored two or fewer in nine of its last 15 games, a 5-9-1 stretch. They have lost eight of their past 11. Buffalo has gone six games (24 times shorthanded) without allowing a power-play goal. It was a key factor in keeping the Tampa Bay Lightning off the board Saturday with a 4-3 win. Thomas Vanek is tied for the league in goal scoring with 19. The Penguins broke out of their 2 for 30 power play slump with two power-play tallies in a 5-2 win at Carolina on Thursday, then went 1-for-2 with the man advantage Saturday despite losing 3-2 at Ottawa. Sidney Crosby's recent surge has him just three points behind Malkin for the NHL scoring lead. Malkin had a goal and an assist on Saturday, the first time he'd found the back of the net in five games.

Other Action:
Tampa Bay (6-12-8) @ Boston (18-4-4) - 7PM
Florida (11-12-3) @ Dallas (10-10-4) - 7:30PM
NY Islanders (10-14-2) @ Toronto (9-12-6) - 7:30PM
Nashville (14-10-2) @ St. Louis (11-11-3) - 8:30PM

^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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