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A PP
against these guys is no easy task; Foppa could make debut; Svatos out
for season; Carcillo back on the shelf; Dvorak, Ponikarovsky could make
their returns; some OHL news; and more...
POWER PLAY? Obviously,
when a team goes up a man they have an advantage. When a man goes in
the box, the power play is pressed to the fullest extent as the team
with the edge gives their all to put one on the board. The power-play
unit would be wise to play a little more conservative, however, when
the following fellas are out killing the penalty.
When Chicago takes a penalty, they send out Patrick Sharp and Rene Bourque.
While their penalty killing is mediocre (17th in the NHL), the pair has
a combined 16 shorthanded points. That is better than any other duo in
the league.
That's not to say that teams should relax against Ottawa when the Sens are shorthanded. Daniel Alfredsson is tied with Sharp for the league lead in shorthanded points with nine, while Mike Fisher has four, and Antoine Vermette and Chris Kelly have three each--good enough to sit them in the Top 20 in the NHL.
Phoenix is another team with a potent dynamic duo. Shane Doan (seven shorthanded points) and Radim Vrbata
(five) is a solid combo in all situations. That clearly doesn't change
even when the odds are stacked against them. The same goes for
Philadelphia's Mike Richards (six) and linemate R.J. Umberger (five).
Other big shorthanded producers include Atlanta's Eric Perrin (tied for first with nine), Dallas pivot Stu Barnes (five) and a solid L.A. twosome of Michal Handzus and sophomore Patrick O'Sullivan (four each).
AVALANCHE
Just when the injury news was starting to look up for Colorado with the return to the lineup of Paul Stastny, Joe Sakic and Ryan Smyth from injury and the acquisitions of Ruslan Salei, Adam Foote and Peter Forsberg,
things took a turn for the worse on the weekend. Smyth suffered a
concussion and a shoulder separation when he was hit hard into a
partition by Kings' defenseman Jack Johnson. The extent of the injury is not known, but it does not look good for this season. Furthermore, winger Marek Svatos
is now sidelined for the rest of the season with a torn ACL that will
require surgery. Things may get brighter once again as Forsberg is now
practicing with the team and there is a strong chance that he will make
his season debut Tuesday night against the Vancouver.
BRUINS The
six goals that the Bruins gave up in the first period of Monday night's
10-2 loss to Washington is the second most in team history. To find the
period where the Bruins allowed the most, you have to go all the way
back to 1945 when the Red Wings bulged the twine seven times in a
period. It was a forgettable night for Boston fans in which the
goaltender was pulled, put back in the next period and later pulled
again. In the end, Tim Thomas allowed seven goals on 24 shots, while Alex Auld gave up three out of 10.
CAPITALS
The NHL has their first 50-goal man of the campaign, but the event was
overshadowed by the 10-2 shellacking that the Caps laid on the Bruins
Monday. Alexander Ovechkin
scored a hat trick, including goals 50, 51 and 52, in the first period
alone and later added a pair of assists to lead the charge. Rookie Nicklas Backstrom had a four-point night, while new Capital Matt Cooke, Matt Bradley and Eric Fehr had three-point nights each. Cristobal Huet
got his second win in two starts for his new team, stopping 20 of 22
shots. He left the game after two periods because of back spasms.
COYOTES
Rookie left wing Daniel Carcillo
re-injured his knee in the Coyotes' 2-1 win over the St. Louis Blues
Thursday night. He will miss at least the next two weeks. He suffered
an injury to the same knee earlier in the season that kept him out of
the lineup for about five weeks. Carcillo currently leads the NHL in
penalty minutes with 244. Phoenix is Dallas for a game on Wednesday.
DUCKS
Veteran center Doug Weight was back in the Anaheim lineup Monday when the Ducks played host to the slumping Senators. He lined up with Chris Kunitz and Teemu Selanne and earned an assist on Corey Perry's power-play goal late in the first period. Andrew Ebbett was a healthy scratch as a result of Weight's return.
MAPLE LEAFS
Toronto may soon get a boost from Alexei Ponikarovsky
as the injured winger practiced with the team Monday. The winger hurt
his ribs in a game against the Atlanta Thrashers on February 23.
Ponikarovsky will be a game time decision when the Leafs host the
Devils Tuesday. Meanwhile, forward Mark Bell
will miss at least three more weeks because the bones in his face have
yet to heal. The power forward had surgery in January to repair a
broken orbital bone suffered in a fight with Pittsburgh's Ryan Malone.
The Leafs sat 12th in the Eastern Conference Monday six points out of a
playoff spot and three teams to leapfrog to get there. They have also
played the most games out of any of the teams that they are trying to
catch. However, the Leafs are 9-4-2 in their last 15 games and are
slowly crawling back in it.
OILERS
Edmonton goaltender Mathieu Garon
has a place in hockey history after his game on Sunday. Edmonton's
shootout win over Columbus gave Garon a 10-0 record this season in such
occasions. The win total already ties a record with New Jersey's Martin Brodeur, who went 10-6 last season, and Buffalo's Ryan Miller,
who also went 10-4 in 2006-07. Edmonton, as a team, boasts a 14-3
record in the shootout this season. The team plays host to Nashville on
Tuesday, a team they have yet to take to the shootout this season.
PANTHERS
Injured winger Radek Dvorak
practiced with his teammates Monday and his return to the lineup could
come as early as Tuesday against the Bruins. Dvorak has been out since
breaking three bones in his hand blocking a shot during a game February
2 at Tampa. Dvorak took shots Sunday but likely needs at least one full
practice to be ready for a return to the ice. Meanwhile, injured
rearguard Noah Welch, out most of the season after shoulder surgery, is also in Boston and could be back in the lineup by the weekend.
PREDATORS
The Preds learned Monday that forward Martin Gelinas
will undergo surgery Wednesday to repair his torn ACL and he will be
out for the season. Gelinas suffered the injury in a February 21 game
against Vancouver, but was hoping that there would still be a chance
he'd be able to play this season. Gelinas will need four to six months
to recover after the surgery. In 57 games this season, the veteran
winger posted 20 points. The 37-year-old will be an unrestricted free
agent on July 1.
ONTARIO HOCKEY LEAGUE (OHL)
Carolina prospect Chris Terry
had a four-point game Sunday, further climbing the OHL scoring chart.
The points give him 20 in his last 14 games and 96 in 62 on the season
for the Plymouth Whalers. The 18-year-old left wing was drafted in the
fifth round in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, 132nd overall. Terry sits
fifth in OHL scoring and is giving the Hurricanes something to finally
look forward to as their empty prospect pipeline slowly replenishes.
He'll get a long look at camp, but is likely two or three years away
yet.