There are 10 games on tonight’s busy schedule of hockey, with six of them complete now. Here are summaries of a night that featured some great goaltending performances so far.
Barring a stunning turnaround, the Thrashers’ playoff hopes are starting to look really dismal. It wasn’t for a lack of trying tonight, as they threw 41 shots at Carey Price. Unfortunately for them, Price stopped all but one of those shots as Montreal won the third of their last four games.
Speaking of great goaltending performances that underscored the opposition’s rapidly declining hopes, Cam Ward did one better than Price (literally) by stopping 41 Panthers shots to keep the Hurricanes ahead of the charging Sabres. Cory Stillman is already paying dividends back with his own team, as he had a hand in both goals (one goal and one assist).
The Sabres kept pace with the Hurricanes (they’re only two points behind them with two games in hand) and also pulled the Rangers closer to them thanks to a tough win to begin their seven-game road trip. Three of the game’s five goals were scored on the man advantage, as Ryan Miller (29 saves) guided Buffalo to two more points.
Washington 2, NY Islanders 1 (OT)
Alex Ovechkin continued his resurgence, with two points (one goal and one assist) including the overtime game-winner. Michal Neuvirth made 28 saves to help his team as Semyon Varlamov continues to be on the mend.
Remember when Tim Thomas wasn’t living up to his contract and Tuukka Rask stole his job? Last season seems like a long time ago, but the Finnish backup is helping his team, as he beat the Senators and Oilers in two straight potential trap games. Rask stopped all 33 shots for the win to keep Boston six points ahead of Montreal.
Miikka Kiprusoff had a much larger margin of error than his countryman Rask, but he also earned a shutout tonight on 25 saves. This game continued a theme of contending teams beating fading tweeners, although the Flames opted for “soul-crushing victory” over eking out a win. Jarome Iginla scored two goals and two assists, as his red-hot line totaled 10 points. Kipper also shut out St. Louis on Sunday.