Empty Netter Assists - 02-10-11
Penguins
-Mike Comrie (above) is off crutches and has begun rehabilitation for his injured hip (PG+).
-Can Maxime Talbot help out on the top power play unit (PG+)?
-The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins recalled forwards David Marshall and Ryan Schnell from the Wheeling Nailers.
-Happy 22nd birthday to current Penguins forward prospect Eric Tangradi. Acquired midway through the 2008-09 season along with Chris Kunitz in a deal which sent Ryan Whitney to the Ducks, Tangradi has spent parts of two seasons with the Penguins. After appearing in one game and failing to score a point last season, Tangradi has seen action in 13 games and scored two points this season. He is currently with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
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-Happy 43nd birthday to former Penguins defenseman Peter Popovic. Acquired in the 1999 offseason in a deal that sent defenseman Kevin Hatcher to the Rangers, Popovic played one season with the Penguins. In 54 games in 1999-2000, he recorded six points. Popovic left the team in the 2000 offseason as a free agent. He is currently the head coach of Södertälje SK in Sweden.
Atlantic Division
-Devils defenseman Anton Volchenkov was suspended for three games over an elbow to the head of Hurricanes forward Zach Boychuk Tuesday:
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-The Devils acquired former defenseman Jay Leach and minor league forward Steve Zalewski from the Sharks in exchange for forward prospects Patrick Davis and Michael Swift.
-Devils coach Jacques Lemaire has 599 career wins.
-Knee surgery will sideline Rangers captain Chris Drury for approximately six weeks.
-The Islanders acquired goaltending prospect Al Montoya from the Coyotes in exchange for a sixth-round pick in this year's draft.
-Islanders goaltender Kevin Poulin will miss the rest of the season due to a dislocated knee cap.
-The Islanders placed goaltender Rick DiPietro (face) on injured reserve and recalled forward Jesse Joensuu from Bridgeport of the AHL.
Northeast Division
-Nathan Horton had a goal and four assists for the Bruins in a wild fight-filled 8-6 win against the rival Canadiens. Milan Lucic added two goals and an assist for Boston while teammate David Krejci recorded three assists. Tim Thomas made 27 saves in the victory. Yannick Weber netted a goal and two assists for for Montreal.
-Check out this snipe of goal by Montreal's Max Pacioretty:
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-This game featured 182 penalty minutes, 14 fighting majors and four game misconducts:
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-We had another goaltender "fight." This time it was between Thomas and Montreal's Carey Price:
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-Some good looks at the fights:
-And the aftermath:
-Montreal's James Wisniewski uncorking one:
-The Maple Leafs acquired acquired forward Joffrey Lupul, prospect defenceman Jake Gardiner and a conditional draft pick in a deal which sent defenseman Francois Beauchemin to his old team, the Ducks.
-Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson (right) is sidelined due to a back injury.
-With 11 consecutive losses, the Senators are approaching the franchise's record of 14 during its innagural season of 1992-93.
-The Senators recalled forwards Bobby Butler and Jim O'Brien from Binghampton of the AHL.
-Sabres defenseman Steve Montador is dealing with a concussion.
Southeast Division
-The Panthers acquired forward Jack Skille and forwards prospects Hugh Jessiman and David Pacan from the Blackhawks in exchange for forward Michael Frolik and goaltending prospect Alexander Salak to the Chicago Blackhawks.
-Florida recalled former Penguins forward Bill Thomas from Rochester of the AHL and demoted forward Michal Repik to Rochester.
-Lightning forward Mattias Ritola cleared waivers and was demoted to Norfolk of the AHL.
-The Hurricanes recalled defenseman Brett Carson (right) from Charlotte of the AHL.
Central Division
-Sergei Kostitsyn had a goal and an assist for the Predators in a 4-1 win at Detroit. Pekke Rinne made 34 saves in the victory. The Red Wings have lost three out of their last four games.
"It's embarrassing. The crowd booing us. We probably deserved it. We know we're not playing the way we can." - Red Wings captain Nicklas Lidstrom.
-Two goals by Patrick Kane led the Blackhawks to a 4-1 win at Edmonton. Captain Jonathan Toews recorded two assists for Chicago while Corey Crawford made 34 saves in the victory.
-Blackhawks forward and former Penguin Marian Hossa left the game in the second period due to an "upper-body" injury and is considered day to day.
-Predators forward Matthew Lombardi, who has been sidelined since Oct. 13 due to a concussion, has recently begun light workouts.
-With defenseman Carlo Colaiacovo (eye) expected to return to the lineup Friday, the Blues placed defenseman Tyson Strachan on waivers.
Northwest Division
-A goal and two assists by Anton Babchuk led the Flames to a 5-2 defeat of the Senators. Tim Jackman added two goals for Calgary while teammates Curtis Glencross and Olli Jokinen each netted a goal and an assist. Miikka Kiprusoff made 24 saves in the victory.
-Ottawa's Chris Phillips and Calgary's Mark Giordano each kept their eyes on this puck:
-Nicklas Backstrom made 23 saves for the Wild in a 3-2 win against the Avalanche. Matt Cullen recorded two assists for Minnesota. David Jones scored both of Colorado's goals. The Avalanche has lost five consecutive games.
-Happy times for Minnesota's John Madden:
-A neck injury will sideline Flames forward Alex Tanguay indefinitely.
Pacific Division
-Two goals by Bobby Ryan led the Ducks to a 4-3 win at Vancouver. Teemu Selanne added two assists for Anaheim while Curtis McElhinney made 35 saves in the victory. Daniel Sedin netted a goal and two assists for the Canucks.
-Check out this pass by Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf, who missed 14 games due to facial injuries, to set up Ryan for a goal:
-Canucks defenseman Dan Hamhuis left the game in the third period after striking his head off the glass following a hit by Getzlaf:
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-Vancouver's Andrew Alberts > Selanne:
-Anaheim's Jason Blake and Vancouver captain Henrik Sedin each kept their eyes on this puck:
-McElhinney didn't keep his eye on this puck:
-Radim Vrbata's overtime goal gave the Coyotes a 3-2 win at Dallas. Ray Whitney recorded two assists for Phoenix while Ilya Bryzgalov made 16 saves in the victory. Brad Richards netted a goal and an assist for Dallas.
-Check out this blind pass by Richards to set up Steve Ott for a goal:
-Bryzgalov having a moment:
-Steely glaring times for Dallas' Kari Lehtonen:
-A goal and an assist by Patrick Marleau led the Sharks to a 3-2 win at Columbus. Joe Pavelski added two assists for San Jose while Antti Niemi made 42 saves in the victory which was the Sharks' fifth consecutive.
-Sharks defenseman Kent Huskins got his first goal of the season. He was the last player on San Jose's roster to record a goal.
-The Stars recalled forward Tom Wandell (shoulder) from injured reserve.
(Photos: Comrie-Claus Andersen/Getty Images; Canadiens/Bruins-Elise Amendola/Associated Press and Elsa/Getty Images; Alfredsson-Photobucket; Carson-Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images; Flames/Senators-Dale MacMillan/Getty Images; Avalanche/Wild-Andy King/Associated Press; Ducks/Canucks-Darryl Dyck/Canadian Press; Coyotes/Stars-Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)