Empty Netter Assists - Western Conference - 1-31-09
Central Division
-Steve Mason made a "whopping" 18 saves and led the Blue Jackets to a 1-0 win against the Senators. Mason leads the league with a 1.98. goals against average.
-There was a pretty big scrap in this game last night. Senators forward and former Penguin Jarkko Ruutu and Columbus forward R.J. Umberger were in the middle of it:
-Blue Jackets defenseman Mike Commodore thinks the Steelers will win Sunday, but isn't confident in them covering the spread.
-The Red Wings recalled forward Justin Abdelkader from Grand Rapids of the AHL and demoted forward Aaron Downey.
-Detroit has a pretty big game today in Washington. Why in the world is this game on at 12:30 p.m.? This is such a waste of a nice prime-time game for Hockey Night in Canada or NHL Network. Instead, the Maple Leafs and Penguins, two non-playoff teams at the moment, are getting HNIC treatment tonight.
-Blues defenseman Eric Brewer has resumed skating. He's been sidelined since Dec. 11 with a back injury.
Northwest Division
-Miikka Kiprusoff made 28 saves and earned his 30th win for the Flames in a 3-1 defeat of the Predators. Former Penguins goon Andre Roy scored the winning goal in the second. Fire Ray Shero.
-Visual evidence of Roy acutally scoring a goal:
-Kiprusoff is the Flames top European scorer.
-Dwayne Roloson made 29 saves and led the Oilers to a 3-1 win against the Wild. Andrew Cogliano recorded two assists for Edmonton.
-Check out this hit by Edmonton's Steve Staios on Minnesota's Stephane Veilleux and the subsequent fight between Staios and Cal Clutterbuck:
-We're hardly the first to utter this sentiment, but why is it now the fashionable thing to drop gloves with an opponent who has just delivered a clean, legal hit to a teammate? And why doesn't Clutterbuck get an instigator penalty?
-Today's "Peter Forsberg might return to the Avalanche story" is brought to you by... wait... he's not returning? He signed a contract with Modo of the Swedish Elite League.
-The Oilers got blown out at home recently by the Sabres, 10-2. In response, a Calgary radio station came up with this little diddy:
-Turns out the station, the FAN 960, is an NHL rights holder, and the Oilers asked the league to pressure the station to quit using the song. No word yet on who the Oilers would like to change their collective diaper. (Kudos to Greg Wyshynski of Yahoo! for the heads up.)
-Mats Sundin has been something of a flop so far with the Canucks.
-Vancouver coach Alain Vigneault is on the hot seat.
Pacific Division
-With forward Steven Reinprect dealing with a separated shoulder, the Coyotes recalled forward Alexander Nikulin from San Antonio of the AHL.
-A boy at a Kings game Thursday night took a puck to head and suffered a hairline fracture in his skull. He's apparently doing well. The Kings sent him an autographed Dustin Brown stick an invited him to a future game.
-Willa Ford, the wife of Stars forward Mike Modano (right), is in the new "Friday the 13th" movie. Considering she's a young, pretty blonde, it's not really clear what her role in the film is.
-Forward Brian Sutherby is establishing a presence with the Stars.
Adams Division
-Former Flames and Flyers assistant coach Wayne Fleming was fired by Avangard Omsky of the KHL for the second time this season.
-Whatever happened to hockey nicknames?
(Photo: Phillip MacCallum/Getty Images)