Empty Netter Assists - 12-04-10
Penguins
-Courtesy of the Port Authority's Twitter page, the Mon Incline is ready for the Winter Classic:
(We're assuming the car on the right was seven minutes late waiting for Norwegian women's curling to finish.)
-A temporary public skating rink will be constructed outside Heinz Field as part of the festivities leading up to the Winter Classic.
-AOL's Chris Botta examines the Winter Classic's hype.
-The Penguins are staging a "tournament" of Mario Lemieux's greatest goals.
-Dan Bylsma speaks:
-Chris Collins scored two goals for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in a 4-2 defeat of the Binghamton Senators. Joe Vitale added a goal and an assist for the Penguins while Brad Thiessen made 12 saves in the win.
-Highlights courtesy of The Pensblog's Eric Politowski:
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-Shootout goals by Nick Petersen and Ben Street gave the Wheeling Nailers a 6-5 win against the Kalamazoo Wings. Street had a goal and two assists in regulation while Patrick Killeen made 23 saves in the victory.
Atlantic Division
-Henrik Lundqvist made 17 saves for the Rangers in a 2-0 shutout of the rival Islanders. Brandon Dubinsky recorded two assists for the Rangers.
-Check out this questionable hit by Rangers forward Ryan Callahan on Islanders forward Frans Nielsen and the ensuing fight between Callahan and Islanders forward Jesse Joensuu:
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-During warm ups, Islanders forward and former Penguin Jon Sim kind of, sort of shot a puck near the head of Rangers forward Sean Avery.
-"It feels like 10 years." - Flyers head coach Peter Laviolette on having spent on calendar year in Philadelphia.
Northeast Division
-Ryan Miller made 19 saves for the Sabres in a 5-0 shutout of the Blue Jackets. Tyler Ennis and Thomas Vanek each had a goal and two assists for Buffalo while teammate Drew Stafford added a goal and an assist.
-Buffalo's Patrick Kaleta > Columbus' Derek Dorsett:
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-Steely glaring time for Miller:
-Columbus goaltender and former Penguin Mathieu Garon had issues with this puck:
-Canadiens defenseman Andrei Markov will undergo right knee surgery and is expected to be sidelined for the rest of the season.
-The Senators demoted defenseman David Hale to Binghamton of the AHL.
Southeast Division
-Brandon Sutter's overtime goal gave the Hurricanes a 2-1 win against the Avalanche. Cam Ward made 34 saves in the victory.
-Check out the effort by Carolina's Jeff Skinner on this short-handed goal:
-The Lightning demoted defenseman Matt Roy to Norfolk of the AHL and recalled forward Johan Harju from Norfolk.
-Lightning forward Steve Downie is expected to be out indefinitely due to an ankle sprain.
-The Panthers demoted forward Michal Repik to Rochester of the AHL recalled defenseman Kenndal McArdle from Rochester.
-The Thrashers placed forward Tim Stapleton on waivers.
Central Division
-Jimmy Howard made 41 saves and led the Red Wings to a 4-0 shutout of the Ducks. Valtteri Filppula and Johan Franzen each recorded a goal and an assist for Detroit.
-Red Wings forward Kris Draper is expected to make his season debut today against the Kings. He has been sidelined due to a groin ailment. No word yet if the Kings are expected to shake his hand for the accomplishment.
-With goaltender Pekke Rinne (right) expected to be sidelined two to four weeks due to a "lower-body" injury, the Predators recalled goaltender Mark Dekanich from Milwaukee of the AHL.
-The Blues recalled defenseman Ian Cole from Peoria of the AHL.
Northwest Division
-Roberto Luongo made 32 saves for the Canucks in a 3-0 shutout of the Blackhawks. Daniel Sedin recorded two assists for Vancouver.
-Luongo is as popular as ever in Chicago:
-Chicago's Marty Turco didn't exactly play the right angle here:
-Vancouver's Keith Ballard, no stranger being rough on the heads of his goaltenders, went for Luongo's eyes this time:
-We think.
-TSN had a cute "poetry" pregame presentation with Luongo:
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-Shootout goals by Alex Tanguay and Rene Bourque gave the Flames a 3-2 win against the Wild. Henrik Karlsson made 20 saves for Calgary. Martin Havlat had a goal and an assist in regulation for Minnesota.
-Check out Havlat's goal:
-Minnesota's Pierre-Marc Bouchard scored his first goal since March 10, 2009.
-Flames forward Curtis Glencross was fined for a cross check to the face of Canucks defenseman Keith Ballard Wednesday.
-Colorado captain Adam Foote returned to the lineup after missing three games due to a leg injury.
Pacific Division
-With forwards Krys Barch (ankle) and Toby Petersen (hand) dinged up, the Stars recalled forward Aaron Gagnon from Texas of the AHL.
-The Ducks placed forward Aaron Voros (illness) on injured reserve and recalled forward Matt Beleskey (right) from Syracuse of the AHL.
-Former Sharks/Senators forward Jonathan Cheechoo is having fun with the AHL's Worcester Sharks, San Jose's AHL affiliate.
Patrick Division
-The NHL reported the amount of reported concussions through Dec. 1 is exactly the same as last season.
-Nathan Longpre had a goal and an assist for the Robert Morris mens' team in a 2-2 tie with Bentley.
-Ryan Raven had a goal and an assist for the Mercyhurst men's team in a 6-2 defeat of Sacred Heart.
-Brianna Delaney had a goal and an assist for the Robert Morris women's team in a 2-1 win against Minnesota State.
-Christine Bestland had two goals and an assist for the Mercyhurst women's team in a 6-1 rout of Niagara.
-Today would've been the 73rd birthday of former Pittsburgh Hornets defenseman Irv Spencer.
(Photos: Blue Jackets/Sabres-Rick Stewart/Getty Images; Rinne-Bruce Bennett/Getty Images; Canucks/Blackhawks-Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images and Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press; Beleskey-Harry How/Getty Images)