Note: We’ll have a rundown of the two latest games (Detroit-Edmonton and Pittsburgh-Anaheim) tomorrow morning/afternoon. Enjoy summaries of the night’s first six games.
To quote the great prophet Scooby Doo, “Ruh roh.” The Devils are in big, King Kong-sized trouble right now.
Brandon Dubinsky might be on the least-reported hot streak in the NHL at the moment, scoring the Rangers’ first and third goals of the night to bring his total to a staggering 10 goals on the season. His career high is 20 goals, so don’t blame the hockey world for being a little surprised.
Anyway, Henrik Lunqvist continued his strong play with a 33-save shutout to beat Johan Hedberg in this rivalry match.
Well, so much for Tim Thomas being unbeatable. His superhuman streak of incredible games was halted by the reborn Capitals attack to the point that the Bruins decided to let Tuukka Rask play in the third period.
Then again, Michal Neuvirth got yanked from the game after Boston stormed back to make it 3-3, but a John Carlson game-winner and Alex Ovechkin empty-netter cliched it for the Caps.
Much like the Devils, the agony continues for the once-proud Sabres. Benoit Pouliot scored the game-tying and game-winning goals in the second period as the Canadiens continue to play solid hockey. Patrick Lalime is now 0-3 in the Buffalo net, although like injured starter Ryan Miller, it’s certainly not all his fault.
The Southeast Division might not be the complete joke it once was, but it’s still a little wacky. Normally I’d attribute most Panthers wins to Tomas Vokoun, but he was pulled midway through the first period after allowing two goals on seven shots. The Panthers put together another 50-shot performance ... and this time, they received the two-point payoff they deserved.
The Minnesota Wild are building momentum but shouldn’t get too cocky. They’re now 5-3-1 at home - including a 3-1-1 record during a five-game homestand - while playing only three games (1-1-1) on the road so far this season. Niklas Backstrom bested his countryman Miikka Kiprusoff with a 33-save performance, with Martin Havlat earning the game-winner.
After losing the first three games of a six-game homestand, the Stars are absolutely on fire, winning three-straight in dominating fashion. In three games against the Sabres, Penguins and Coyotes, the Stars outscored their opponents 15-5 (and, honestly, most of the goals they allowed were in garbage time). Loui Eriksson has two consecutive two-goal games to his credit.