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Devils sweep season series with Penguins

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 21:51:31 GMT

Dainius Zubrus, Paul Martin and Rob Niedermayer also tallied for the Devils, who have won four of five and are tied for the Atlantic Division lead with 87 points.

By virtue of having one more win than Pittsburgh (42-41), the Devils assumed the second spot in the Eastern Conference.

Leighton to miss time with ankle sprain

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 17:57:52 GMT

Leighton left the Flyers' 4-3 shootout loss at Nashville with a high ankle sprain after falling backwards onto his leg while making a play late in the first period.

The 28-year-old's status had been reported as day-to-day by general manager Paul Holmgren, but the team's website on Wednesday reported that Leighton is likely out of action for a few weeks.

Canucks F Samuelsson out 2-to-3 weeks

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 17:10:42 GMT

The Vancouver Sun is reporting the injury is shoulder-related and happened during the team's loss to the Islanders on Tuesday.

Samuelsson has a career-high 30 goals and 23 assists this season in 70 games.

Blackhawks limp into Honda Center to battle Ducks

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 10:44:07 GMT

Chicago's quest for the top seed in the Western Conference took a major hit on Sunday. Not only did the Blackhawks blow a three-goal lead in a 4-3 overtime setback to the Capitals over the weekend, but Chicago also lost the services of defenseman Brian Campbell in the first period.

Campbell was pushed violently into the boards by Washington's Alex Ovechkin, who received a major for boarding, a 10-game misconduct and ultimately a two- game suspension for a hit in the NHL called "reckless" in its release announcing Ovechkin's punishment.

Avs attempt to extend win streak over Flames

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 10:41:40 GMT

The Avalanche's current winning streak over the Flames includes a victory in all four meetings so far this season, with each contest ending in a 3-2 score. The first three meetings finished in regulation before Colorado notched a shootout triumph at Calgary on Jan. 11.

Chris Stewart had the game-tying goal in that victory and also notched the winner in the shootout. The forward has been red-hot as of late, posting 10 goals and 11 assists over his last 12 games.

Devils try to extend domination of Penguins

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 10:41:08 GMT

The Penguins, of course, are the defending Stanley Cup champions and come into tonight with a two-point edge over the Devils for the division lead. New Jersey, however, won the Atlantic title last season and has taken the crown in three of the past four years.

The Atlantic lead also comes with the inside track on the second seed in the Eastern Conference playoff race. With 87 points, Pittsburgh is 16 behind Washington for the top spot and five points ahead of third-seeded Buffalo.

Tavares scores twice as Islanders handle Canucks

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 01:00:12 GMT

Matt Moulson added a goal and an assist for the Islanders, who have won three straight following a four-game winless skid. Dwayne Roloson was strong with 35 saves, while Dylan Reese and Freddy Meyer also scored for the victors.

With 67 points and 12 games remaining in the season, the Eastern Conference playoff race is taking shape with the Islanders on the outside looking in. New York sits seven points behind the current eighth-seeded Boston Bruins.

Wild score twice in third to down Oilers

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 23:03:51 GMT

Paul, MN (Sports Network) - Andrew Ebbett and Martin Havlat each had a goal and an assist, as the Minnesota Wild defeated the road-weary Edmonton Oilers, 4-2, at Xcel Energy Center.

Chuck Kobasew and Antti Miettinen also lit the lamp for the Wild, who have beat the Oilers 13 straight times in the Twin Cities. Josh Harding made 34 saves for Minnesota, which has won three in a row and now sits six points behind the Red Wings for the eighth spot in the Western Conference.

Mueller continues hot streak for Avs in win over Blues

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 23:02:22 GMT

Louis, MO (Sports Network) - Peter Mueller continued his hot play for his new team, tallying two goals and an assist to lead the Colorado Avalanche to a 5-3 win over the St. Louis Blues.

Mueller has tallied at least a point in each of his seven games with the Avs after being acquired from Phoenix and eight straight overall as Colorado swept the four-game season series with St. Louis.

Predators edge Flyers in shootout

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 22:56:03 GMT

Erat also scored in regulation along with Steve Sullivan and Jerred Smithson for the Predators, who have won three straight and remained in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race. Nashville holds the seventh seed.

Pekka Rinne made 42 saves in the victory.

Bryzgalov, Coyotes stifle Lightning

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 22:28:01 GMT

With the win, the Coyotes set a new franchise record for wins in a season, topping the 1984-85 Winnipeg Jets with their 43rd win of the campaign.

Bryzgalov, who owns a league-best eight shutouts, has been on a roll of late allowing just five goals in his last five starts, which have all been wins and include two whitewashes. Vernon Fiddler and Mike Lombardi scored the goals for the Coyotes, who have recorded their second six-game win streak of the season.

Maple Leafs rout sliding Senators

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 22:25:21 GMT

Phil Kessel, John Mitchell, Mikhail Grabovski, and Rickard Wallin scored for the Leafs, who have won four of five but still sit last in the Eastern Conference with 60 points.

Andy Sutton scored the lone goal for the Senators, who dropped to 1-5-1 in their first seven outings of March. Brian Elliott turned aside 26-of-29 shots in defeat.

Caps cruise without Ovechkin, beat Panthers

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 22:20:17 GMT

The NHL's best offense didn't seem to miss the NHL's top point-getter as Ovechkin began his two-game suspension for shoving Chicago defenseman Brian Campbell into the boards from behind in Sunday's 4-3 overtime win. Campbell is out for 7-to-8 weeks with a fracture to his clavicle and ribs as Ovechkin, who was assessed a major penalty and game misconduct for the hit, was suspended for the second time this season.

Brendan Morrison had a goal and two assists while Nicklas Backstrom and Alexander Semin each added a goal and an assist for the Capitals, who have won two of their last three.

Bruins defeat Hurricanes in Raleigh

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 21:58:05 GMT

David Krejci and Michael Ryder also added a goal and a helper, while Patrice Bergeron and Johnny Boychuk both scored for the Bruins, who moved three points ahead of the Rangers for the final playoff spot in the East. New York was defeated by Montreal, 3-1, at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday.

Tuukka Rask made 30 saves in the victory for Boston, which had lost four of five and finished a seven-game road trip with a 3-3-1 mark.

Flyers goaltender Leighton injured against Nashville

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 21:12:18 GMT

The 28-year-old Leighton is considered day-to-day.

During the first period, Leighton appeared to land awkwardly on the ankle when it was caught under his pad while trying to make a save.

Lightning F Malone has surgery

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 15:28:46 GMT

Malone, who has compiled 21 goals and 44 points in 65 games for the Bolts, is slated to miss 10-to-14 days.

His rehabilitation time will also include treatments for an undisclosed upper-body injury that had kept him out of three games prior to the surgery.

NHL or MMA: What got Vs. back on DirectTV?

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 14:50:25 GMT

DirecTV dropped Versus a month before the NHL season began due to an argument over how much Comcast -- the telecommunications behemoth that owns the sports channel -- was charging the satellite giant to carry Vs.

That meant for the first five months of the season, nationally televised hockey games on Vs. were nowhere to be found in the homes of an estimated 18 million DirecTV subscribers.

Blackhawks' Campbell out 7-to-8 weeks after Ovie hit

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 14:42:17 GMT

Campbell was hit him from behind during the first period of Chicago's 4-3 overtime loss at United Center and would conceivably be out through at least the first round of the playoffs should the returning timetable of 7-to-8 weeks hold up.

Blackhawks team physician Dr.

Ovechkin responds to suspension

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 14:39:24 GMT

Ovechkin was penalized for two games without pay on Monday for his hit on Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Brian Campbell during the first period of Sunday's 4-3 Washington overtime victory.

As Campbell skated with the puck into his own end, Ovechkin shoved him from behind into the end boards. The Blackhawks defenseman fell awkwardly into the dasher, eventually suffering a broken collarbone and a fractured rib. Ovechkin was given a major penalty and game misconduct for his actions.

Isles try to end road woes in tough test with Canucks

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 11:13:26 GMT

Vancouver has been on fire since the Olympic break, going 6-1-1 over its last eight games. The Canucks have won the first two contests of a five-game homestand to extend a home winning streak that is sandwiched around an NHL- record 14-game road trip.

The Canucks improved to 25-7-1 at home this year with a 3-1 triumph over Calgary on Sunday that pushed Vancouver's lead over Colorado for first place in the Northwest Division to five points.

Sharks to pay a visit to slumping Stars

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 11:11:33 GMT

The first of those three scheduled meetings takes place tonight, as Western Conference-leading San Jose tries to snap a two-game skid this evening at American Airlines Center versus a Dallas team that has lost six of seven since the Olympic break and will be without Mike Modano.

These two Pacific Division rivals have met three times so far this year, with the Stars winning the first two in shootouts at San Jose before the Sharks earned a 4-2 victory at Dallas on Dec. 21. San Jose is 6-1-2 in its last nine versus the Stars and has also won in four straight and eight of its last nine trips to Dallas.

Oilers hoping to end longtime suffering in Minnesota

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 11:10:14 GMT

The Oilers have lost all three games thus far on their swing despite scoring 11 goals. Edmonton, though, has allowed 15 goals on the trek to run its overall road losing streak to five games. The team has also dropped 16 of its last 17 on the road, where it is just 8-23-3 this season.

Edmonton made a stop in Columbus on Monday and was dealt a 5-3 setback. Robert Nilsson and Aaron Johnson had a goal and an assist each and Dustin Penner also scored for the Oilers, who have lost four straight overall. Devan Dubnyk added 24 saves in the setback.

Flyers head to Nashville for key interconference clash

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 11:08:41 GMT

Both the Flyers and Predators come into this battle holding slim margins for playoff spots. Philadelphia is even with Montreal for sixth place in the Eastern Conference, but only four points ahead of Boston, which is in eighth. The ninth-place New York Rangers are five points behind the Flyers.

Nashville, meanwhile, is seventh in the West and has a one-point cushion on eighth-seeded Detroit, while Calgary is just three points back of the eighth spot.

Avs hope to continue dominance of Blues

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 11:01:14 GMT

Colorado will try for a season sweep of the Blues when the Northeast Division contenders head to the Scottrade Center this evening for a key Western Conference clash.

St. Louis returns home after performing well on an important six-game road trip to start out the team's post-Olympic break schedule. The Blues finished 4-2-0 on the swing, although they came up short against Minnesota in Sunday's finale.

Coyotes visit Tampa with shot at sixth straight win

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 10:59:59 GMT

Since making a startling seven deals prior to the March 3 trade deadline, the Coyotes have ripped off five consecutive wins to further solidify their chances for a first playoff appearance since 2001-02. The tear has given Phoenix 89 points for the season, good for fourth place in the Western Conference and just seven behind top-seeded San Jose for the Pacific Division lead.

With a victory tonight, Phoenix would match a club record for wins in a single season set in 1984-85, when the franchise was located in Winnipeg.