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Preview Flames at Sharks

Dave Johnson — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 07:56:00 +0000

THE STORY: After the teams have waged a pair of defensive battles this season, it's no secret that Wednesday's contest pitting the visiting Calgary Flames against the San Jose Sharks will likely center around goaltending. Calgary's Miikka Kiprusoff will attempt to become the 27th netminder in NHL history to collect his 300th regular-season victory while fellow Finn Antti Niemi will try to keep dousing the Flames at every turn. Kiprusoff, who was drafted by the Sharks in 1995, failed in his bid for No. 300 on Monday after he dropped a 3-2, eight-round shootout decision to the Anaheim Ducks. On Wednesday, Kiprusoff will turn his attention to Niemi, who has won five straight and eight of nine career meetings against the Flames. Niemi has yielded just one goal in two meetings against the Flames this season – including a 25-save shutout in the clubs' last meeting on Jan. 24.

TV: 10 p.m. ET, TSN, CSCA

ABOUT THE FLAMES (24-22-7): Captain Jarome Iginla reiterated to the Calgary Herald that he does not wish to be traded. His reasoning? Well, he believes the Flames could make some noise in the postseason should they qualify for the postseason. “We’ve played Detroit. We’ve played Vancouver. We’ve played San Jose. And we’ve played them lately. And while we respect them, we definitely feel we can beat them,” Iginla told the newspaper. “I like it in Calgary. I believe we can be in the playoffs and have a shot.”

ABOUT THE SHARKS (29-15-6): After two consecutive shutouts, Niemi's run of dominance came to an end on Saturday with a 5-3 loss to the Pacific Division rival Phoenix Coyotes. All-Star C Logan Couture has collected four goals and five assists during his six-game point streak, but has just tallied twice in eight career contests versus Calgary. San Jose LW Patrick Marleau is riding a three-goal scoring streak, but has traditionally struggled versus Calgary. Marleau has just two goals in his last 12 outings against the Flames.

OVERTIME:

1. Former San Jose captain Owen Nolan announced his retirement on Tuesday after 18 seasons in the NHL. “When your body won't do what your mind and your heart is willing to do, it's time to move on,” the 39-year-old Nolan said. “I've enjoyed every minute of it.”

2. Calgary's offense has dried up as injuries continue to mount. With LW Curtis Glencross (knee) and RW Lee Stempniak (ankle) expected to be sidelined until mid-March, the Flames have mustered two goals or less in nine of their last 13 contests.

Preview Bruins at Sabres

Dave Johnson — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 07:55:58 +0000

THE STORY: Boston Bruins coach Claude Julien insists he isn't overlooking the Buffalo Sabres – and he made sure his team followed his line of thinking with a spirited practice on Tuesday. Sure, Boston has defeated its Northeast Division rival on both occasions this season, but Julien is casting a weary as his team heads to western New York for Wednesday's matchup. “The one thing that we’re well aware of is that we haven’t fared well against teams that are out of the playoffs right now,” Julien told ESPN Boston on Tuesday. “We have to be a little bit better and our goal right now is to carry last game (Sunday's 4-1 win in Washington) into this game here. I really felt like we had control most of the game and we did the things that we normally do when we’re successful. So we need to bring that to Buffalo and repeat it.” The Bruins will also face familiar foe Ryan Miller, who has played a role in upping the intensity between these Northeast Division rivals.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, NBCS, TSN2

ABOUT THE BRUINS (33-16-2): Boston opened a stretch of eight of the next 10 on the road with the win over Washington. After boycotting his last proposed trip to the nation's capital when he “followed his conscience,” reigning Vezina Trophy winner Tim Thomas stopped 35 shots to win for the fourth time in five starts. Thomas has also kept the Sabres in check, collecting points in his last six outings (4-0-2).

ABOUT THE SABRES (22-24-6): Miller was knocked out of the teams' first meeting in Boston after Milan Lucic lowered the boom on him in a 6-2 loss on Nov. 12. The former Olympian seems to have gotten untracked as of late, winning three of his last four starts – including a 35-save effort in a 4-3 win over the New York Rangers. With his 235th triumph, Miller unseated Dominik Hasek with the most victories in franchise history.

OVERTIME:

1. Bruins LW Brad Marchand has collected three goals and three assists in his last six games.

2. Sabres coach Lindy Ruff suffered three broken ribs after colliding with defenseman Jordan Leopold during Monday's practice. The 51-year-old Ruff, who was a former Sabres and New York Rangers winger/defenseman, is listed as day-to-day with the injury.

Preview Hurricanes at Ducks

Dave Johnson — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 07:55:49 +0000

THE STORY: The Anaheim Ducks conclude their four-game homestand Wednesday when they face off against the Carolina Hurricanes at the Honda Center. Anaheim, which is 1-1-1 thus far on the homestand, has gone 7-1-1 in the last nine games in its own building. The Ducks have earned at least one point in 12 of their last 14 contests overall (10-2-2). Carolina also has been playing well as it has won three of four matches and is 4-1-2 in its last seven. The Hurricanes, who are beginning a three-game road trip, are 1-0-2 in their last three away from home.

TV: 10 p.m. ET, FSN (Carolina), Prime Ticket (Anaheim)

ABOUT THE HURRICANES (20-25-9): Anthony Stewart is a Hurricane after all. Stewart went unclaimed after being placed on waivers Monday and is expected to be in the lineup Wednesday. The 27-year old signed with Carolina as a free agent last summer following a breakout season with Atlanta during which he recorded 14 goals and 25 assists. Stewart has registered only six tallies and 13 points in 50 games with the Hurricanes. Cam Ward has allowed three goals or less in each of his last 13 starts and two goals or fewer in 11 of those outings.

ABOUT THE DUCKS (20-24-8): Teemu Selanne is on the verge of climbing several lists. The “Finnish Flash” needs one goal to pull even with Brendan Shanahan (656) for 12th all-time and is one point away from tying Brett Hull (1,391) for 21st. Selanne is four points behind Luc Robitaille for 20th on the all-time list. Bobby Ryan scored his 20th goal in Monday's victory over Calgary, reaching the plateau for the fourth consecutive season. The 24-year old has eclipsed the 30-goal mark each of the previous three campaigns.

OVERTIME:

1. Ward is one shutout away from matching the Hurricanes franchise record of 20 held by Arturs Irbe.

2. The Ducks have lost four straight meetings with Southeast Division opponents.

Preview Oilers at Red Wings

Dave Johnson — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 07:55:39 +0000

THE STORY: Four days ago, the Edmonton Oilers proved the league-leading Detroit Red Wings were not invincible in the shootout. On Wednesday, they have the opportunity to make another statement as they attempt to end the Red Wings' franchise-record 17-game winning streak at Joe Louis Arena. Detroit, which is three home victories away from tying the NHL record, are an astounding 20-2-1 at home. Its last loss in its own building came on Nov. 3, when it dropped a 4-1 decision to Calgary. The Red Wings kick off a six-game homestand against an Oilers squad that has lost seven in a row and 14 of 15 on the road. Edmonton, which had its three-game winning streak snapped at Toronto on Monday, has won just eight of its last 29 games in Motown.

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, TSN (Edmonton), FSN Plus (Detroit)

ABOUT THE OILERS (21-27-5): Ryan Nugent-Hopkins' return from a separated left shoulder was a short one as the rookie injured the same body part in Monday's loss at Toronto. Nugent-Hopkins, who was playing in his second game after missing 13, is expected to be sidelined for seven to 10 days. The 18-year old paid immediate dividends in his return by scoring the decisive goal in the shootout win over Detroit on Saturday. The line of Sam Gagner, Taylor Hall and All-Star Jordan Eberle has been a major force of late. Gagner (six goals, seven assists) and Eberle (six goals, nine points) both are riding four-game points streaks while Hall has collected nine points over his last five contests. Eberle also has a goal in each of his last four matches. Coach Tom Renney may miss his second straight game after taking a puck in the head in Monday's morning skate.

ABOUT THE RED WINGS (35-17-2): All-Star Jimmy Howard is expected to miss his first home game of the season and third overall with a broken right index finger. Joey MacDonald, who celebrated his 32nd birthday on Tuesday, is likely to get the nod over Ty Conklin. Pavel Datsyuk is having trouble with his wrist, an ailment that allowed him to take just one faceoff in Monday's loss at Phoenix. The All-Star will probably be prohibited from taking draws for the next few contests. Henrik Zetterberg, who has reached the 20-goal plateau in seven of his first eight NHL seasons, has just nine tallies in 54 matches this campaign. The 31-year old has one goal in his last 23 games.

OVERTIME:

1. The league record for consecutive home wins is 20 set by the 1929-30 Boston Bruins and matched by the 1975-76 Philadelphia Flyers.

2. Detroit has failed to earn a point in just two of its last 39 meetings with Edmonton.

3. The Oilers have won only 20 of their last 92 road contests.

Recap Coyotes 4 Stars 1

Dave Johnson — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:09:19 +0000

Radim Vrbata scored his team-leading 25th goal of the season to snap a tie late in the second period and Mike Smith stopped 28 shots as the Phoenix Coyotes skated to a 4-1 road triumph over the Dallas Stars on Tuesday.

All-Star defenseman Keith Yandle, fellow blueliner Derek Morris and Raffi Torres also tallied for Phoenix, which pulled into a tie with the Minnesota Wild for eighth place in the Western Conference. Dallas is two points behind the Coyotes and Wild.

After Michael Ryder leveled the contest at 2:34 of the second period with a blast from the right faceoff circle, Vrbata regained the lead for Phoenix with 5:30 left in the session.

Vrbata accepted defenseman Rostislav Klesla's centering feed and directed the puck past Kari Lehtonen.

Torres scored 5:41 into the third period and Morris added his first goal of the season before Smith closed the door to improve to 4-0-0 against the team that drafted him in 2001.

Lehtonen finished with 20 saves to fall to 4-2-3 in his career versus the Coyotes.

Recap Jets 2 Maple Leafs 1

Dave Johnson — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:09:14 +0000

Bryan Little scored the go-ahead goal midway through the second period as the Winnipeg Jets shaded visiting Toronto 2-1 on Tuesday to halt the Maple Leafs' three-game winning streak.

The Jets couldn't shake their lengthy offensive struggles – scoring 11 times in the last eight games – but the defense held high-scoring Toronto at bay to help end a two-game losing skid.

Phil Kessel's 30th goal of the season provided the lone offense for Toronto 11:06 into the opening period. The All-Star forward fired a wrist shot that eluded a screened Ondrej Pavelec for his fourth goal in three games.

Chris Thorburn drew the Jets even at 14:16, lofting a backhand shot past Toronto netminder Jonas Gustavsson.

Little put Winnipeg in front 9:47 into the middle frame, shoveling home a rebound after Blake Wheeler's initial shot was turned aside.

Dion Phaneuf provided the period's other highlight, rocking Jets defenseman Zach Bogosian with a thunderous open-ice hit.

Toronto had a golden opportunity to even things late in the third, but Pavelec made a sensational save on Matthew Lombardi.

Recap Avalanche 5 Blackhawks 2

Dave Johnson — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:09:01 +0000

David Jones scored twice and rookie Gabriel Landeskog broke a tie 38 seconds into the third period as the Colorado Avalanche snapped a five-game losing streak with a 5-2 victory over the visiting Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday.

Peter Mueller and Kyle Quincey (empty-netter) also scored and Jean Sebastien-Giguere made 29 saves as the Avalanche scored three or more goals for the first time in six games and moved to within a point of eighth-place Minnesota and Phoenix in the Western Conference.

Colorado's Paul Stastny, playing his 400th game, had two assists.

Patrick Kane and defenseman Brent Seabrook scored for the Blackhawks, who have lost six straight and the first four of their season-high nine-game road trip.

Landeskog, who leads first-year players with 164 shots on goal, blasted a 40-footer past Ray Emery to make it 3-2. Jones snapped a shot over Emery's left shoulder at 11:42 of the third for his second two-goal game of the season.

The teams exploded for four goals in the first 6:14 of the second period. Giguere lost track of a rebound and Seabrook buried it from near the right faceoff dot at 31 seconds.

The Avalanche answered with two goals in 35 seconds. After Mueller finished a 2-on-1 with Ryan O'Reilly, Jones took a feed from Milan Hejduk and sailed a wrist shot past Emery to the stick side at 3:59 of the second.

Chicago tied it 2-2 when Kane beat Giguere with a backhander between his left shoulder and the post.

Recap Blue Jackets 3 Wild 1

Dave Johnson — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 22:09:21 +0000

Antoine Vermette scored a power-play goal to snap a tie late in the second period and Curtis Sanford turned aside 28 shots as the Columbus Blue Jackets skated to a 3-1 victory over the visiting Minnesota Wild on Tuesday.

Rookie defenseman David Savard recorded his first career NHL goal and also assisted on Jeff Carter's tally for Columbus, which posted its first win in three tries versus Minnesota this season.

After Wild defenseman Nick Schultz was sent to the penalty box for hooking, Vermette made the Wild pay only eight seconds later. He collected a loose puck and made a nifty move around Niklas Backstrom for his seventh goal of the campaign and first in 10 games.

Vermette's tally came with 4:29 remaining in the second period – and Carter doubled the advantage 5:38 into the third after poking home a loose puck on the doorstep for his 12th goal of the season.

Sanford held the fort from there to improve to 5-2-0 in his career versus Minnesota.

Playing in his 18th career game, Savard opened the scoring with a blast from the point at 8:59 of the first period.

Signed to a two-year extension on Monday, rookie defenseman Nate Prosser netted his first career NHL goal and Backstrom finished with 34 saves for the Wild.

Recap Capitals 4 Panthers 0

Dave Johnson — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 22:09:17 +0000

Alex Ovechkin scored twice and Tomas Vokoun made 42 saves as the Washington Capitals seized first place in the Southeast Division with a convincing 4-0 win over the visiting Florida Panthers on Tuesday.

Ovechkin's first multi-goal game of 2012 paced the Capitals, who own a one-point lead over the Panthers. Florida has a game in hand.

Vokoun was sensational, fending off a series of Panthers barrages en route to his fourth shutout of the season and 48th of his career.

The Capitals needed only 13 seconds to hit the scoreboard. Jason Chimera centered a pass to Mathieu Perrault, whose shot eluded Florida netminder Scott Clemmensen.

Ovechkin extended the lead at 9:21, streaking down the wing before whistling a shot past Clemmensen with Washington enjoying a power play.

Chimera's shorthanded goal 1:01 into the second frame made it a 3-0 game, and Ovechkin struck again at 11:47 with a wrist shot from the high slot after Florida failed to clear the puck.

Recap Islanders 1 Flyers 0 SO

Dave Johnson — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 22:09:09 +0000

Frans Nielsen and John Tavares scored in the shootout as the New York Islanders defeated the Flyers 1-0 on Tuesday for their second straight victory in Philadelphia after dropping the previous 13 games.

Evgeni Nabokov made 45 saves in regulation and overtime for his second shutout of the season and 52nd of his career and also stopped Danny Briere and Wayne Simmonds in the shootout.

The Flyers and Islanders exchanged plenty of chances but were unable to come up with any goals after 65 minutes, largely because of the goaltending from Nabokov and Bryzgalov.

Nabokov’s biggest save came in the middle frame when he made a diving stop on Max Talbot's tip-in attempt. He also stopped Claude Giroux and Scott Hartnell a half-dozen times apiece.

Bryzgalov was forced to make only 18 saves, and was credited with his second shutout of the season and 25th in his career.

The Flyers have lost three straight for the first time this season. They also went 0 for 3 on the power play, the first time in their last eight games without a man-advantage goal.