FTS - 1/7/08

(Over the next few weeks, my work schedule will be changing a lot so I will not be able to do the usual format everyday. Today is one of those days)

LAST NIGHT'S RECAP

(Photo Credit: AP)

Minnesota Wild (20-16-3) over the Boston Bruins (29-7-4) 1-0
Nicklas Backstrom made 28 saves for the shutout and Marek Zidlicky scorned the lone goal to hand the Bruins their 2nd straight loss

Buffalo Sabres (20-15-5) over the Ottawa Senators (13-19-6) 4-2
Derek Roy had a goal and two assists in the win. The story here is Sens winger Jarkko Ruutu biting the thumb of Sabres winger Andrew Peters. Ruutu denied biting Peters, and instead accused the Sabres player of gouging him in the eye. "Nothing happened there," Ruutu said. "His fingers were by my mouth but I didn't bite him."

Carolina Hurricanes (21-15-5) over the New Jersey Devils (23-13-3) 3-2
Tuomo Ruutu scored the game winner and Cam Ward made 26 saves for the Hurricanes 4th straight win (season-high)

Washington Capitals (27-11-3) over the Philadelphia Flyers (21-10-9) 2-1 (SO)
Viktor Kozlov scored the shootout winner and Jose Theodore made 33 saves, many of them tough, in the win.

Detroit Red Wings (27-7-5) over the Columbus Blue Jackets (18-18-4) 3-0
Pavel Datsyuk had a goal and 2 assists, Marian Hossa scored, and Ty Conklin made 23 saves for his 8th career shutout. Blue Jackets leading scorer Rick Nash went hard into the boards late in the 1st period. "We'll evaluate him tomorrow," said Blue Jackets coach Ken Hitchcock, who would only add that Nash had a lower-body injury.

Pittsburgh Penguins (20-17-4) over the Atlanta Thrashers (13-23-5) 3-1
Evgeni Malkin had three assists, Petr Sykora scored twice and Sidney Crosby had a goal to snap the Pens five game losing streak.

Florida Panthers (18-16-6) over the Toronto Maple Leafs (16-18-6) 4-2
Stephen Weiss, Ville Peltonen, Michael Frolik and Gregory Campbell all scored for the Panthers in the win.

Colorado Avalanche (20-19-1) over the Nashville Predators (17-19-3) 2-1
Wojtek Wolski scored both Avs goals to end a three game skid for the Avs and extend the Predators losing streak to five.

Chicago Blackhawks (22-8-7) over the Phoenix Coyotes (19-17-5) 6-0
Cristobal Huet made 22 saves to earn the shutout while winger Adam Burish had a goal and two assists on his birthday.

Calgary Flames (24-12-4) over the San Jose Sharks (29-5-5) 5-2
Flames C Daymond Langkow scored twice and the Flames were able to chase Evgeni Nabokov early in the 2nd period after Calgary took a 4-0 lead.

Anaheim Ducks (21-15-5) over the Los Angeles Kings (16-17-6) 3-1
Bobby Ryan, Sammy Pahlsson and Rob Niedermayer all scored for Anaheim and Scott Niedermayer chipped in with two assists.

OTHER HEADLINES

-Blues left wing Paul Kariya had left hip surgery on Monday and could miss the rest of the regular season. "We haven't ruled him out, but what's the sense of rushing something as serious as this?" team president John Davidson said Tuesday. "I think he'll be back to 110 percent, whether it's late this season or next season. Probably next season." Kariya had two goals and 13 points in the Blues' first 11 games before injuring the hip Nov. 5 against Anaheim. An MRI had revealed injuries in two spots in the joint area of the left hip. Davidson said the surgery repaired a torn labrum inside the joint along with "some bone work." "He'll be 100 percent a long time before camp," Davidson said. "He'll be back to being Paul Kariya that should be better than he has been for years." The 34-year-old Kariya is in the second season of a three-year, $18 million contract. The surgery was performed in Vail, Colo., and Kariya will stay in Colorado to begin rehab.

RUMOR MILL

Nothing to report today

AROUND THE BOARDS

-The Colorado Avalanche have placed defenseman Adam Foote on the IR with a triceps injury. The move is retroactive to Sunday, when Foote left in the second period of a 2-0 loss to Minnesota. Avalanche coach Tony Granato said Tuesday Foote was apparently hurt in a collision or when he finished off a check. Colorado called up Philippe Dupuis from the Lake Erie Monsters of the AHL.

TONIGHT'S ACTION:
Montreal @ NY Rangers - 7:30PM
%Vancouver @ Edmonton - 10PM (The probable return of Mats Sundin - It appears that he will be on a line with Kyle Wellwood and Mason Raymond)

% = Game of the Night
^ALL TIMES EASTERN

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

~Dropping the Gloves with Andrew Bogusch comes out tomorrow night

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

FTS - 1/6/08

TOP STORY

FREEZE OUT
(Photo Credit: NY Daily News)
Henrik Lundqvist earns his first shutout of the season and beats the Penguins again at MSG

New York Rangers (24-14-3) over the Pittsburgh Penguins (19-17-4) 4-0
TOP PERFORMER = Rangers G Henrik Lundqvist - 27 Saves, Shutout

When the Penguins see that they are heading to Madison Square Garden on the schedule, there must be a collective groan in the locker room. For the 8th straight regular season meeting, the Penguins lost in the World's Most Famous Arena (0-5-3). Maybe it was the fact that Pittsburgh went 0 for 8 on the power play, or maybe it was because Henrik Lundqvist earned his first shutout of the season. Either way, things are bad in Pittsburgh right now and they are getting worse.

The Rangers jumped out to a very early 1-0 lead in the 1st period when Nigel Dawes scored his 7th of the season on the power play just one minute in to the game. In the 2nd period, Paul Mara scored his own power play goal on a set up from Scott Gomez. In the 3rd period, Chris Drury put the game out of reach with his 11th goal of the season. Scott Gomez added a shorthanded-empty net goal. All four goal scorers also had an assist and defenseman Michal Rozsival added two assists. The shutout was the 18th of Lundqvist's career. The Rangers scored two power-play goals in a game (2 for 7) for the first time since November 19.

The Penguins have now lost five straight, their longest skid in regulation since losing 10 straight in January 2006. Pittsburgh was shutout for just the 2nd time this season and has only scored eight goals in its last six games. They have gone 32 straight power plays without scoring a goal. Penguins captain Sidney Crosby heard boos and derisive chants all night and was called for two penalties one game after taking 21 minutes (including his second NHL fight) in a 6-1 loss to Florida on Saturday. "Whether the opposing fans are trying to rub it in or not, losing is not fun," Crosby said. "I wouldn't expect anything different here, to be honest." Right now, it's just a matter of time whether the Penguins make a big trade (Jay Bouwmeester perhaps?) to shake up the line up Pens head coach Michel Therrien could also be on the hot seat. Up next for the Penguins is the Thrashers at home tonight. If they can't right the ship against Atlanta, GM Ray Shero will have to figure something out quickly.

Henrik Lundqvist became only the 5th goalie in NHL history to start off his career with four 20 win seasons. "He is just a great, great goaltender," coach Tom Renney said. "He'll go down in history as one of the great Rangers. No question.". The Rangers put themselves back in 1st place in the Atlantic Division with the win. Up next for the Rangers is Montreal at home on Wednesday night before a five game road trip.

OTHER HEADLINES

-Team Canada wins the World Junior Championships:
http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=402297

-Sabres captain Craig Rivet is ready to return after missing nearly a month with a shoulder injury, but forward Maxim Afinogenov is out indefinitely after hurting his groin last weekend. Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said after practice Monday that he expects Rivet back in the lineup on Tuesday, when Buffalo hosts Ottawa. He has missed 11 straight games since getting hurt during a 3-2 loss at Montreal on Nov. 2. Afinogenov was hurt after being checked by Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara in a 4-2 win at Boston on Saturday. Without providing a timetable, Ruff said he expects Afinogenov to be out for "a little while," and added the player will have tests to determine the severity of the groin injury. Afinogenov has two goals and 10 assists for 12 points in 34 games this year. Defenseman Teppo Numminen's status is uncertain after he missed practice Monday with an illness.

LAST NIGHT'S RECAP

Edmonton Oilers (19-16-3) over the New York Islanders (12-25-4) 3-2
TOP PERFORMER = Oilers C Andrew Cogliano - 1 Goal
-The Islanders jumped out to a 2-0 lead after the 1st period thanks to goals from Kyle Okposo and Blake Comeau (PPG). In the 2nd period, Kyle Brodziak and Jason Strudwick would strike back with goals of their own to tie the game heading in to the 2nd Intermission. In the 3rd period, Andrew Cogliano scored the game winner midway through the period. Dwayne Roloson made 25 saves in the win while Joey MacDonals made 23 saves in the loss.

RUMOR MILL

-The Vancouver Canucks cleared room for Mats Sundin to join the lineup this week, sending forward Jannik Hansen to Manitoba of the AHL on Monday. Sundin, who signed as a free agent on Dec. 18 and joined the team Dec. 30, had his first full practice on Monday. He said he would travel with the team to Wednesday night's game at Edmonton, but there was no word if the longtime Toronto captain would play. "I don't know. I think another practice tomorrow and we'll see," said Sundin, who had taken part in two morning skates since arriving in Vancouver. The 37-year-old plans to practice again on Tuesday and decide on playing after Wednesday's morning skate. Sundin is nine months removed from his last NHL game in a 17-season career, and said he doesn't want to jump in midseason if his body is not ready. "It's a different intensity and different pace when you're out there with the whole team," he said. "It's how I feel tomorrow morning and maybe Wednesday morning - see how the body reacts skating at this pace." Hansen, a 22-year-old rookie from Denmark, had 17 points in 37 games.

-Nashville and Pittsburgh may be trying to work something out. Some names involved are JP Dumont, Ville Koistinen, and Alex Goligoski

-It looks like the Kings and Leafs may be working out a trade for Nik Antropov

AROUND THE BOARDS

-The Montreal Canadiens acquired defenseman T.J. Kemp from the Pittsburgh Penguins, in return for a conditional seventh-round pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. Kemp will join the AHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs. Kemp, 27, scored nine points (one goal, eight assists), served 22 penalty minutes and posted a plus-5 rating in 22 games this season with the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Since 2005-06, the 5-foot-11, 197-pound blueliner registered 93 points (14 goals, 79 assists) with 126 penalty minutes in 174 career regular season games in the AHL. A native a Pickering, Ontario, Kemp was a member of the Canadian AHL All-Stars at the 2007 AHL All-Star Game.

-Preds forward Steve Sullivan, recovering from a back injury suffered in February 2007, indicated that he is close to making a return to NHL game action. Sullivan has been practicing regularly with the full team since mid-December and has participated in contact drills the past week and half. Sullivan will not play in either of the Preds next two games, but neither he nor the team would comment about a timeline beyond then. However Preds Head Coach Barry Trotz indicated that the coaches have started to discuss line combinations and ice time management for Sullivan if he is able to return to action. Trotz indicated that Sullivan will be placed on the power-play unit and the coaches will look for him to skate a regular even-strength shift with an eye toward him seeing 15-18 minutes a night from Game 1.

-The NHL named it's Three Stars of the Week
http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=402155

-The Nashville Predators have changed the time of their game Saturday so it doesn't conflict with the Tennessee Titans' playoff game. The Predators' game against Chicago has been changed from 7 p.m. (CST) to 7:30. The Titans play the Baltimore Ravens at 3:30 p.m. (CST) Saturday. Both games are in Nashville.

-The Calgary Flames recalled forward Jamie Lundmark from the Quad City Flames (AHL). After 35 games with the Quad City Flames this season, Lundmark leads the team in assists with 26 and 36 points. The 27-year-old forward has played in three games with the Flames this season and registered two assists with a plus-2 rating.

TONIGHT'S ACTION:
Minnesota @ Boston - 7PM
Ottawa @ Buffalo - 7PM
New Jersey @ Carolina - 7PM
%Philadelphia @ Washington - 7PM
Columbus @ Detroit - 7:30PM
Atlanta @ Pittsburgh - 7:30PM
Florida @ Toronto - 7:30PM
Colorado @ Nashville - 8PM
Chicago @ Phoenix - 9PM
San Jose @ Calgary - 10PM
Los Angeles @ Anaheim - 10PM

% = Game of the Night
^ALL TIMES EASTERN

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

~Dropping the Gloves with Andrew Bogusch comes out tomorrow night

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

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

PLUS/MINUS

Life is good for Zdeno Chara, Michael Ryder and the rest of the Boston Bruins

*This will be an abbreviated edition of P/M. Full commentary returns next week

1) Boston Bruins (+1)

2) San Jose Sharks (-1)

3) Detroit Red Wings (EVEN)

4) Washington Capitals (EVEN)

5) Chicago Blackhawks (+1)

6) Philadelphia Flyers (-1)

7) Calgary Flames (+3)

8) Montreal Canadiens (EVEN)

9) New Jersey Devils (EVEN)

10) New York Rangers (-3)

11) Vancouver Canucks (EVEN)

12) Anaheim Ducks (EVEN)

13) Carolina Hurricanes (+3)

14) Buffalo Sabres (EVEN)

15) Phoenix Coyotes (EVEN)

16) Pittsburgh Penguins (-1)

17) Minnesota Wild (EVEN)

18) Columbus Blue Jackets (+7)

19) Florida Panthers (EVEN)

20) Edmonton Oilers (+3)

21) Los Angeles Kings (-1)

22) Dallas Stars (+2)

23) Toronto Maple Leafs (-1)

24) Colorado Avalanche (-3)

25) Nashville Predators (-7)

26) St. Louis Blues (+2)

27) Tampa Bay Lightning (+2)

28) Ottawa Senators (-2)

29) Atlanta Thrashers (-2)

30) New York Islanders (EVEN)

BIGGEST GAINER = Columbus Blue Jackets (+7)
BIGGEST LOSER - Nashville Predators (-7)
11 Teams Remained Evene
10 Teams Moved Down
9 Teams Moved Up

It's a new year, so there's a new team at the top of Plus/Minus. Don't get me wrong, San Jose isn't all of a sudden playing bad, but the Bruins are playing excellent hockey right now and have been playing consistently well for awhile now. The Flames and Blackhawks are also playing top notch games right now. The Rangers drop is due to a lack of consistency. With Mats Sundin's debut in Vancouver around the corner and Roberto Luongo's return not too far behind, I can't wait to see what the Canucks look like with their full roster. Columbus has moved up thanks to rookie goalie Steve Mason and Nashville has dropped so far because they are the Cleveland Browns of the NHL this year.

FTS - 1/5/08

TOP STORY

FLAME OUT

(Photo Credit: AP )

Chicago ends Calgary's Win Streak At 5

Chicago Blackhawks (21-8-7) over the Calgary Flames (23-12-4) 5-2
TOP PERFORMER = Blackhawks G Nikolai Khabibulin

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gysKr8DzM3-bgmha-l6ZuCinKd8wD95GSUMG0

OTHER HEADLINES

-The NHL suspended Anaheim Ducks forward Corey Perry four games without pay on Saturday following an elbowing incident against the Flyers. Perry elbowed Flyers' Claude Giroux in the third period of the Philadelphia's 5-4 win in Anaheim on Friday. He was originally assessed a double-minor for a high-stick but after being reviewed, it was determined to be an elbow. Perry will sacrifice US$114,516, which will go to the Players' Emergency Assistance Fund. Perry will be available to return against the New Jersey Devils (January 11).

-The NHL has announced it's All-Star starters:
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=261768&lid=sublink08&lpos=headlines_nhl


LAST NIGHT'S RECAP

Montreal Canadiens (22-10-6) over the Florida Panthers (17-16-6) 6-5 (SO)
TOP PERFORMER = Canadiens LW Andrei Kostitsyn - 2 Goals
-Florida scored two goals in the 1st period, Montreal scored four in the 2nd, and the Panthers would rally to tie it behind two Radek Dvorak goals. Andrei Markov scored the shootout winner for Montreal.

New Jersey Devils (23-12-3) over the Ottawa Senators (13-18-6) 4-3 (OT)
TOP PERFORMER = Devils C Dainus Zubrus - 2 Goals
-Each team would score a goal in the first three periods and Brian Rolston would score the game winner on the power play in OT. Patrick Elias and Brian Gionta each had two assists for the Devils.

Tampa Bay Lightning (11-18-10) over the Atlanta Thrashers (13-22-5) 4-1
TOP PERFORMER = Lightning RW Martin St. Louis - 2 Goals
-Tampa Bay would score all four of their goals before Atlanta finally dented the scoresheet. Vinny Prospal had two assists for the Lightning in the win.

Minnesota Wild (19-16-3) over the Colorado Avalanche (19-19-1) 2-0
TOP PERFORMER = Wild G Nicklas Backstrom - 33 Saves, Shutout
-Owen Nolan scored both Wild goals and Brent Burns had two assists to give Minnesota the division win.

Anaheim Ducks (20-15-5) over the Phoenix Coyotes (19-16-5) 2-0
TOP PERFORMER = Ducks G Jonas Hiller - 29 Saves, Shutout
-Ducks winger Bobby Ryan had a goal and an assist and Scott Niedermayer had two assists.

Dallas Stars (17-16-5) over the Vancouver Canucks (21-15-5) 3-2 (SO)
TOP PERFORMER = Stars C Mike Modano - 1 Goal, 1 Assist
-Marty Turco made 33 saves, Jason LaBarbera made 34 saves in his Canucks debut, and James Neal scored the shootout winner to get the Stars back above .500.

RUMOR MILL

-Jason Spezza Update: It looks like Robyn Regehr from the Flames is the big name going back to Ottawa from Calgary.

AROUND THE BOARDS

-The WJC Finals have been set and it'll be Canada vs. Sweden
http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=402031

TONIGHT'S ACTION:
%Pittsburgh @ NY Rangers - 7PM
NY Islanders @ Edmonton - 9:30PM

% = Game of the Night
^ALL TIMES EASTERN

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

~Dropping the Gloves with Andrew Bogusch comes out on Wednesdays

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