Empty Netter Assists - Eastern Conference - 3-1-09

Penguins

-A look back as some of the Penguins' significant trade deadline deals in years past.

-Leave it to Alex Ovechkin to finally force Don Cherry to back Sidney Crosby (approximately the 3:40 mark):

-The thing about this is, if Ovechkin's name was Alan Olberbacher and he was from Moosejaw instead of Moscow, Cherry isn't nearly offended by it. And something Cherry and others who get huffy over this stuff tend to forget about this game is that it's entertainment.

-Adam Berkhoel had 30 saves for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in a 3-2 loss at Bridgeport. Alex Goligosk and Mark Letestu each had two assists for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

-Mike Yeo has apparently taken over as a power-play coach for the entire Penguins organization. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton had a five-minute power-play late in last night's game and got one shot on net.

-The AHL Penguins are in a 2-for-24 slump with the man advantage.

-Janne Pesonen is still fighting the good fight.

-Reid Cashman had a goal and an assist for the Wheeling Nailers who edged the Trenton Devils, 3-2. David Brown made 45 saves in the win.

-New Penguins prospect Eric Tangradi (right) is actually shacking up with the aunt and uncle of Matt Cooke in Belleville, Ont.

-Plzen, the team of former Penguins forward Martin Straka, advanced past the preliminary round of othe Czech Extraliga.

-Former Penguins forwards Aleksey Morozov and Jaromir Jagr each finished in the top ten in the KHL's scoring race. Fire Craig Patrick.

Atlantic Division

-Scoreboard Watch for the Penguins: Zach Parise had two goals and an assist for the Devils who routed the Panthers, 7-2. Teammates David Clarkson, Brian Rolston and Brendan Shanahan each had a goal and an assist. Goaltender Martin Brodeur was in vintage form and was forced to make a "whopping" 15 saves. Radek Dvorak had two assists for Florida. The Panthers are in seventh place in the Eastern Conference with 70 points, two more than the Penguins who are in 10th place with 68 points.

-Brodeur is expected to start today against the Flyers.

-Is Parise Hart Trophy material?

-Scoreboard Watch for the Penguins: Yann Danis made 31 saves for the Islanders in a 2-0 shutout of the Sabres. Sean Bergenheim scored both of New York's goals. Former Penguins goaltender Patrick Lalime had 32 saves in the loss. The Sabres are in eighth place with 69 points, one more than the Penguins.

-Islanders captain Bill Guerin, who recently waived his trade clause, was a notable healthy scratch from last night's game.

-According to several outlets, the Islanders have a deal in place to send Guerin to a Cup-contending team in the East.

-Scoreboard Watch for the Penguins: Scott Gomez had a goal and two assists and led the Rangers who blasted the Avalanche, 6-1. Chris Drury, former Penguin Markus Naslund and Nikolai Zherdev each contributed a goal and an assist. Fire Ray Shero. It was John Tortorella's first win since he took over as New York's coach. The Rangers are in sixth place with 72 points, four more than the Penguins.

-The Rangers really needed this win in a big way.

-Tortorella is using forward Petr Prucha a whole lot more than former coach Tom Renney ever did.

-The Flyers made a few moves yesterday. Forward Daniel Briere (right) was officially activated from injured reserve and defenseman Nate Guenin, a native of Hopewell, was recalled from their AHL affiliate. Additionally, forward Claude Giroux and defenseman Lasse Kukkonen were demoted.

-If he's still on the NHL roster, "Guenin is from Pittsburgh" is set at 5 1/2 for the March 22 game between these two clubs.

-How much will the losses of forward Glen Metropolit and defenseman Ossi Vaananen hurt the Flyers' puppy-drowning chemistry?

-With defenseman Brendan Witt suspended, the Islanders recalled defenseman Andy MacDonald from Bridgeport of the AHL.

Northeast Division

-Scoreboard Watch for the Penguins: Saku Koivu and Andrei Markov each had a goal and an assist for the Canadiens who held off the Sharks, 3-2. Jaroslav Halak made 44 saves in the win which was Montreal's 3,000 home game. The Canadiens are in fifth place with 75 points, seven more than the Penguins.

-Check out this goal Montreal's Josh Gorges scored off a brilliant pass by Matt D'Agostini:

-Habs forward and former Penguin Georges Laraque pummeled Sharks enforcer Jody Shelley last night:

-Pavel Kubina had two goals, including one in overtime, and gave the Maple Leafs a 4-3 win at Ottawa.  Curtis Joseph had 29 saves in the win.

-Ottawa forward Jason Spezza pulled a Nicklas Backstrom last night:

-Remember when this rivalry meant something?

-Ottawa and Toronto each honored former defenseman Luke Richardson during a pregame ceremony.

-The Senators demoted goaltender Martin Gerber to Binghamton of the AHL.

-The Canadiens demoted Doug Janik, recently acquired in a trade with Dallas, to Hamilton of the AHL.

-Maple Leafs defenseman Tomas Kaberle and Mike Van Ryn were activated from injured reserve.

-A day after recalling him, the Bruins demoted forward Vladimir Sobotka to Providence of the AHL.

-The Sabres blew a big opportunity last night.

-Buffalo winger Maxim Afinogenov pretty much asked to be traded. (If we're Ray Shero, we stay far, far away. This guy dogs it too much.)

Southeast Division

-Scoreboard Watch for the Penguins: Ilya Kovalchuk (right) might not like Sidney Crosby, but he sure helped the Penguins last night. He had two goals and three assists and pushed the Thrashers to a comeback 5-3 win against the Hurricanes. Teammate Rich Peverly added two goals while Kari Lehtonen made 32 saves in the win. Tuomo Ruutu had a goal and an assist for Carolina. The Hurricanes are in ninth place with 69 points, one more than the Penguins.

-Peverly has 19 point in 19 games with Atlanta this season.

-Alexander Semin's overtime goal from the neutral zone gave the Capitals a 4-3 defeat of the Bruins. Jose Theodore made 34 saves in the win. Semin also had an assist while teammate Mike Green recorded two assists. Matt Hunwick and Phil Kessel each had a goal and an assist for Bruins.

-Bruins coach Claude Julien didn't exactly mince words on what he thought of Semin's goal.

-Dick Vitale of all people actually encouraged President Barack Obama to catch a Capitals game.

-Unlike last year, the Thrashers don't exactly have any big names they can sell at the trade deadline.

-Lightning forward Gary Roberts, a former Flame, is expected to make his final appearance at the Pengrowth Saddledome tonight.

-Tampa Bay will have a very different look after the trade deadline Wednesday.

(Photo: Tangradi-Aaron Bell/Belleville Bulls; Briere-Jim McIsaac/Getty Images; Kovalchuk-Associated Press)