Empty Netter Assists - 4-28-09
Playoff Stuff
Penguins
-Jordan Staal isn't worried about having too much time off.
-Despite Mike Richards being the greatest human being ever, Sidney Crosby dominated him in the faceoff circle.
-Brooks Orpik said Ryan Malone was begging to come back to Pittsburgh at the trade deadline.
-Why don't the Penguins do Black Outs?
(Note: We would argue they are staging one with their power play.)
-Shelly Anderson's chat transcript from yesterday.
-Tyler Kennedy (right) has grown up considerably since last season.
-NBC's ratings for Saturday's Game 6 took a tumble from Game 3. Good thing that crack down on that evil big screen is working.
Bruins
-If Boston lasts long enough in the playoffs, defenseman Matt Hunwick could return to the lineup following the removal of his spleen.
Capitals-Rangers
-Rangers coach John Tortorella says his team has no pressure.
-New York needs to take some responsibility for its collapse in the series.
-Rangers forward Blair Betts suffered a broken orbital bone after a blindside hit from Capitals goon Donald Brashear in Game 6.
-With Betts down and out, the Rangers recalled forward Artem Anisimov from Hartford of the AHL.
-Even Capitals fans don't like NBC.
-Donald Brashear feels his six-game suspension is too much.
-The Capitals want to forget about last season's Game 7.
-Washington defenseman Tom Poti has never won a playoff series.
Devils-Hurricanes
-New Jersey forward Zach Parise (right, No. 9) admitted he's nervous for tonight's Game 7.
-New Jersey would like it very much if Carolina forward Eric Staal would kindly stop scoring.
-Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur is 5-3 all-time in Game 7s.
-Hurricanes forward Matt Cullen is dealing with a foot injury.
-No one really has an edge when it come to desperation tonight.
Sharks-Ducks
-A goal and an assist from Ryan Getzlaf helped the Ducks beat the Sharks 4-1. Teammate Chris Pronger added two assists for Anaheim which upset the top-seeded Sharks, 4-2. Jonas Hiller made 36 saves in the win.
-Ryan Getzlaf dropped the gloves right at the opening faceoff with San Jose's Joe Thornton:
-"It was awesome." Ducks forward Corey Perry on the fight.
-Ducks defenseman and former Penguin Ryan Whitney got in on the act as well with San Jose forward Joe Pavelski:
-Handshakes:
-The Sharks became the fourth Presidents' Trophy winner to go down in the first round.
-San Jose couldn't figure out Jonas Hiller.
Red Wings
-Detroit forward Kris Draper is still a question mark to return to the lineup for the second round due to a head injury.
Canucks
-With a ton of down time, the Canucks are starting to get restless.
-Vancouver is Canada's lone remaining hope to bring the Cup back to the great white north.
-At 34, Canucks defenseman Sami Salo thinks his time to win a Stanley Cup title is running out.
Blackhawks-Flames
-Dustin Byfuglien had a goal and two assists for the Blackhawks in a 4-1 win at Calgary. Patrick Kane had a goal and an assist while teammate Kris Versteeg added two assists for Chicago which won the series, 4-2. Nikolai Khabibulin made 43 saves in the win.
-Handshakes:
-Not surprisingly, it was Flames forward Todd Bertuzzi who took a bad penalty that led to Chicago's first goal.
-Calgary was eliminated from the first round for the fourth consecutive season.
-Nikolai Khabibulin was the difference for Chicago.
-Chicago forward Patrick Sharp is playing through a knee injury.
Minor League Playoffs
-Forward Jean-Michel Daoust is working out well on Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's top line.
IIHF World Championships
-Former Penguins captain Jaromir Jagr had an assist for the Czech Republic in a 5-2 defeat of Norway.
-Kings forward Dustin Brown had a goal and two assists for the United States in a 6-1 pounding of Austria.
-Wild forward Antti Miettinen and former Stars forwad Niko Kapanen each had two goals and an assist for Finland which stomped Denmark, 5-1.
-Edgars Masalskis made 38 saves and led Latvia to a 3-2 upset of Sweden.
-Lightning and Latvian forward Martins Karsums delivered a nasty hit from behind on Thrashers and Swedish defenseman Tobias Enstrom:
-We're not immediately aware of the IIHF's rules on hits from behind, but Karsums deserves to sit a few games. That was completely dirty.
-Check out this hit Coyotes and Canadian forward Scottie Upshall stuck on Hungary's Andras Benk Sunday:
-Upshall was given a five-minute major and a match penalty for the hit. That carries an automatic one-game suspension.
Non-Playoff Stuff
Atlantic Division
-Forward Mike Knuble wants to stay with the Flyers. The Flyers want to keep Knuble. But will there be enough salary cap room to make it happen?
-The Devils could relieve overlord Lou Lamoriello from his business obligations to the team.
Adams Division
-Goaltenders Niklas Backstrom of Minnesota, Steve Mason of Columbus and Tim Thomas of Boston were named finalists for the Vezina Trophy.
(Photos: Kennedy and Parise-Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)