Rumors, moves, injuries and newsmakers...

Vanek comes up big; Gagne to sit out the rest of '07-08; Bolland steps up; Ovechkin is denied again; CuJo and Greiss get rare starts; Norstrom scores; and more...

BIG MONEY PLAYER! 
Thomas Vanek is being paid the big bucks and on Wednesday he performed like the big-money player he is supposed to be.

With his team down by two goals late in the third, Vanek took it upon himself to lead the charge back. In essence, he was the embodiment of the explosive Sabres offense that tore apart teams last season on their way to a Presidents' Trophy and Eastern Conference final. With just under two and a half minutes remaining, Vanek potted his first goal of the game to bring the Sabres back to within one. Thirty-six seconds later, he tied the game 3-3.

He wasn't done there. On a power play in overtime, Vanek completed the natural hat trick at the 2:25 mark, sending a shell-shocked Tampa Bay squad off the ice and to the dressing room. Vanek now has 11 points in seven games, with 10 of those being goals. Vanek now has his second three-goal game this month, as well as his third game-winning goal. His performance comes at a time when the Sabres are missing two top-flight forwards in Maxim Afinogenov and Drew Stafford due to injury.

Tim Connolly had three assists, including two on the first and second Vanek goals, which may have got him on track after missing a month with a hip injury. The Sabres hammered 46 shots on Johan Holmqvist, who was perfect on 27 shots going into the third.

The win gives Buffalo two points and has created a logjam from seventh to ninth in the Eastern Conference playoff hunt, as Boston, Philadelphia and now the Sabres all have 66 points.

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POOR GAGNE 
Simon Gagne toiled through last season, scoring 41 goals for a club that failed to meet expectations and ended 2006-07 with the promise of something more. With a young core to build around, and getting plenty in return for a deadline deal that saw the departure of Peter Forsberg, this season has seen the resurgence of the Flyers.

There is little doubt that resurgence will continue, but it will have to be without Gagne. On Wednesday, Gagne got word from a concussion specialist that he should call it a season. Gagne has only played 25 games this campaign. To see how much he will be missed, one must look at the splits between injuries. He suffered a concussion only a month into the season, and at that point had eight points in 10 games.

He came back on January 10 and promptly went on a six-game scoring streak that produced seven points. In the 14 full games he played before his latest concussion, he had 10 points in 14 games. While it is a terrible loss for the Flyers, they are still young and Gagne will be an important weapon in their arsenal for years to come--health permitting.

The insult added to the injury is the Flyers' lack of depth at left wing. While Scott Hartnell has played admirably this year with 19 goals and 15 assists, there is a significant drop-off after him. This begs the question: Is GM Paul Holmgren going to be making some calls before deadline day?

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BLACKHAWKS 
Dave who? Dave Bolland scored twice for the Blackhawks in their 3-0 shutout win over the Minnesota Wild Wednesday. Bolland is part of the youth movement in Chicago and was playing in his 22nd NHL game. Bolland had one previous NHL goal (against Florida earlier this season). Nikolai Khabibulin recorded his first shutout of the season after stopping 38 shots. Rene Bourque had two assists in a game for the third time this season, putting him at 11 on the year--one ahead of last year's total. Jordan Hendry was plus-3 with one assist for the 'Hawks. Patrick Kane scored the first goal of the game, his 14th, and now has a two-point cushion over Nicklas Backstrom in the rookie scoring race.

CAPITALS 
The Caps went up early but could not hold on against the pesky New York Islanders on Wednesday. Washington had first-period goals off the sticks of Alexander Semin and Brooks Laich to put them up 2-0, a lead which lasted into the third period before the Isles responded. Olaf Kolzig faced 19 shots and may have been in a lull going into the final frame, as the Isles only took four shots on net in the second period. Tom Poti played after missing two games with a lower body injury, and had an assist--his 16th of the season. Alexander Ovechkin is now goal-less in three games, as everyone waits for him to score No. 50. Odds are the wait should not be much longer, as this is currently the longest he has gone without a goal all season. He is due and will have his chance to improve upon his 48-goal tally against Carolina on Saturday.

DEVILS 
Patrik Elias now has eight assists in his past six games, after assisting on two of three Devils goals on Wednesday night as they downed the Sharks 3-2. Sergei Brylin scored his sixth of the year at 18:06 of the second period and it stood up as the game-winning goal--his first of the season. He also had an assist for a two-point night. Martin Brodeur turned away 30 of 32 shots for his league-leading 33rd win of the season. Brian Gionta had his five-game point streak snapped and John Madden was stellar from the face-off circle--winning 10 of 15 draws to lead the Devils. He also notched his 20th assist of the season.

FLAMES 
Curtis Joseph got his first win as a Calgary Flame, stopping 29 of 31 shots in the process, as they made their way past the Dallas Stars with a 3-2 win in Texas Wednesday. Jarome Iginla took care of some housekeeping early in the first when he took on Steve Ott in a fight. The two had some bad blood from a previous meeting. Iginla was not done there, as he scored his eighth game-winning goal of the season and his 38th of the year with 2:27 left in the third period. Alex Tanguay showed up in a big way, scoring two goals on the night. They were his first tallies in 16 games. Not to be forgotten on the night was Owen Nolan. While registering an assist in his 20:46 of ice time, he also doled out a team-high seven hits and won nine of 14 face-offs.

ISLANDERS 
The Islanders got a huge shootout win over the Washington Capitals on Wednesday. Only one point separated the two going into the contest but the Islanders now have a buffer zone after gaining the extra point. Down 2-0 after two periods, the Isles made good on two of their 19 total shots with goals by Miroslav Satan and Josef Vasicek. Both players were long overdue for goals, most notably Vasicek--who had not bulged the twine in 13 straight games. Although Satan did score two games ago against Atlanta, the goal on Wednesday was his second in 12 games. Mike Comrie was the hero, however, as he scored the only goal in the shootout. Rick DiPietro held the fort by stopping 28 Washington shots on the night. An unsung hero for the Islanders was Freddy Meyer, who played 27:49, blocked five shots, recorded three hits and two takeaways.

SHARKS 
Ron Wilson elected to start rookie Thomas Greiss against the Devils on Wednesday. Griess had only started one previous NHL game and was looking for his first NHL win, something he will have to wait until his next start to obtain after allowing three goals on 20 shots in a 3-2 loss to New Jersey. Joe Thornton played in his 200th game as a Shark but was minus-2 on this night. Thornton has an uncharacteristic two goals in his last 14 games. Jonathan Cheechoo opened the scoring in the first minute of the second period with his 16th of the season. Kyle McLaren drew his team within one with his second goal of the year. Enforcer Jody Shelley played 10:12 for the Sharks, the most ice time he has seen since being traded from Columbus on February 9.

STARS 
Dallas had won nine of 10 before running into the Flames on Wednesday. Top defensemen Sergei Zubov (groin, foot) and Philippe Boucher (shoulder) continue to be missing in action but will be a formidable addition to a team that, despite the loss, is playing as well as any in the Western Conference right now. Jeff Halpern, who had been playing right wing lately, was moved back to his natural center position with Stu Barnes out with an eye injury. Blueliner Stephane Robidas saw 6:01 of ice time on the power play and had an assist against Calgary--his 12th of the year. Niklas Hagman scored his 22nd of the year and Mattias Norstrom scored his first for the Stars. Marty Turco had an uncharacteristically tough night between the pipes, allowing three goals on 18 shots.

WILD 
The Wild were shut out for the fourth time this season and the second time this month, falling 3-0 to Chicago Wednesday. Wild goalie Josh Harding faced 30 shots, stopping 27. He entered the contest with a .500 record. The Wild blasted 38 shots at Chicago netminder Nikolai Khabibulin, who looked a lot like the 'Bulin Wall' of old. Brian Rolston, Brent Burns and James Sheppard had five shots apiece in the loss.