Empty Netter Assists - 03-05-11
Penguins
-Dave Molinari's recap from last night's game. "I don't know what [the referee] saw to call a penalty like that in overtime." - Zbynek Michalek on his hooking penalty on Devils forward Travis Zajac in overtime.
-The Newark Star-Ledger's recap. "...that’s why he’s getting paid ($100 million).” - Devils coach Jacques Lemaire on forward Ilya Kovalchuk.
-The (Bergen, N.J.) Record's recap. "I don’t know how many points now we’re out of a playoff spot, but every game is like a Game 7 for us.” - Kovalchuk on his team's playoff hopes.
-The Associated Press' recap. “Losing a defenseman early is never easy but I thought the guys stepped up and really played well.” - Brent Johnson (above) on playing without Kris Letang.
-NHL.com's recap. "We thought we deserved better." - Mike Rupp.
-Highlights:
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-Kris Letang versus New Jersey's Travis Zajac:
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-Happy times in New Jersey:
-Happy times for Kovalchuk:
-Happy times for Tyler Kennedy:
-Kennedy being popular:
-James Neal apparently put a little too much weight into this bogus rumor about not playing with a stick in the Eastern Conference:
-Johnson didn't play the right angle on this one:
-Matt Cooke and New Jersey's Patrick Elias kept their eyes on this puck:
-Mad times for Ben Lovejoy:
-New Jersey's Colin White > Alek Kovalev:
-Dan Bylsma speaks:
-John Curry made 19 saves for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in a 2-1 loss to the Toronto Marlies.
-Peter Delmas made 18 saves for the Wheeling Nailers in a 2-1 win against the Cincinnati Cyclones.
-Speaking of Delmas, he got into a fight with Cyclones defenseman Carl Hudson and did pretty well:
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-Happy 55th birthday to former Penguins forward Paul Gardner. Acquired before the 1980-81 season along with Dave Burrows in a deal which sent for Kim Davis and Paul Marshall, Gardner spent parts of four seasons with the Penguins. In 1980-81, Gardner appeared in 62 games and scored 74 points. He also became the first player in franchise history to score four goals in a game in a 6-5 loss to the Flyers Dec. 13, 1980. During the 1981 postseason, Gardner played in five games and scored one goal. He followed that up in 1981-82 by playing in 59 games and netting netting 69 points including a team-leading 36 goals. Gardner also scored a then-franchise record 21 power-play goals. Gardner led the team in postseason scoring that spring by recording six points in five games. In 1982-83, Gardner saw action in 70 games and scored 55 points. Gardner was limited to 16 games and five points in 1983-84. In the 1984 offseason, Gardner joined the Capitals as a free agent. In 207 regular season games, Gardner score 203 points, 35th-most in franchise history. In 10 postseason games, he scored seven points.
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-Happy 30th birthday to current Penguins defenseman Paul Martin. A free agent signing in the 2010 offseason, Martin has appeared in 62 games this season and has scored 21 points.
-Happy 29th birthday to former Penguins forward Michel Ouellet (right). A fourth-round pick in 2000, Ouellet spent parts of two seasons with the Penguins. As a rookie in 2005-06, Ouellet appeared in 50 games and scored 32 points. While playing primarily on a line with rookies Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal in 2006-07, Ouellet set career highs in games played (73), goals (19) and points (48). In five postseason games that spring, he recorded two assists. In the 2007 offseason, Ouellet joined the Lightning as a free agent. In 123 regular season games with the Penguins, Ouellet scored 80 points, 100th-most in franchise history. He currently plays for the Hamburg Freezers of the DEL in Germany.
Atlantic Division
-A goal and an assist by Derek Stepan led the Rangers to a 4-1 win at Ottawa. Wojtek Wolski recorded two assists for New York while Henrik Lundqvist made 28 saves in the victory which snapped a three-game losing streak.
-A good look at the lid off Rangers goaltender and former Penguins prospect Chad Johnson:
-Devils forward David Steckel is still defending himself for his hit against Sidney Crosby in the Winter Classic.
-An interesting week in NHL-related Tweets was capped off when Flyers forward James van Riemsdyk Tweeted a near-naked photo of teammate Jody Shelley getting a massage. (Warning: Graphic).
-Should the Flyers go with Sergei Bobrovsky or Brian Boucher in net in the playoffs?
Northeast Division
-The Sabres recalled goaltender Jhonas Enroth from Portland of the AHL.
-Does Bruins forward Milan Lucic deserve discipline for this cross check to the head of Lightning forward Dominic Moore Thursday?
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Southeast Division
-The Thrashers demoted former Pittsburgh Forge goaltender Peter Mannino to Chicago of the AHL.
Central Division
-A goal and an assist by Bryan Bickell helped the Blackhawks beat the Hurricanes, 5-2. Teammates Chris Campoli, Marian Hossa and Patrick Sharp each recorded two assists while Corey Crawford made 18 saves in the victory which was Chicago's seventh consecutive.
-Carolina's Bryan Allen and Chicago's Troy Brouwer had issues:
-Chicago's Jake Dowell > Carolina's Jeff Skinner:
-Carolina's Chard LaRose > Chicago's Michael Frolik:
-The Blues recalled defenseman Ian Cole from Peoria of the AHL and demoted defenseman Tyson Strachan to Peoria.
Northwest Division
-Curtis Glencross had a goal and two assists for the Flames in a 4-3 win against the Blue Jackets. Teammate Rene Bourque and Olli Jokinen each added a goal and an assist while Miikka Kiprusoff made 37 saves in the victory. Antoine Vermette had a goal and an assist for Columbus.
-Happy times in Calgary:
-Columbus captain Rick Nash took a tumble over Kiprusoff here:
-The Blue Jackets failed to convert on two penalty shots. It was the first time since 1986 an NHL team missed on two in a single game.
-With 28 goals, Flames captain Jarome Iginla is on the verge of a 10th consecutive 30-goal season.
-Oilers forward Taylor Hall (right) will miss the rest of the season after suffering a high ankle sprain in a fight Thursday.
-The Oilers recalled defenseman defenseman Alex Plante from Oklahomas City of the AHL and demoted goaltender Martin Gerber and defenseman Richard Petiot to Oklahoma City.
-The Wild demoted forward Jed Ortmeyer to Houston of the AHL.
-Avalanche captain Adam Foote is expected to return to the lineup tonight after missing 11 games due to a quadriceps tear.
-Has Jose Theodore replaced Niklas Backstrom as the Wild's top goaltender?
Pacific Division
-Lubomir Visnovsky's goal with 3.8 seconds left in overtime gave the Ducks a dramatic 4-3 comeback win against the Stars. Visnovsky finished with a hat trick and an assist while captain Ryan Getzlaf recorded three assists for Anaheim. Dan Ellis made 23 saves in the victory.
-Visnovsky's hat trick:
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-Goal of the Night: Check out this pass by Stars defenseman and former Penguin Alex Goliogski to set up teammate Jamie Benn for a goal:
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-Fire Ray Shero.
-Save of the Night: Check out this stunning save by Ellis on Dalas' Trevor Daley in overtime:
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-Happy times for Visnovsky:
-Visnovsky recorded the first hat trick by a defenseman in Ducks history.
-Ducks forward Teemu Selanne scored his 400th career goal with the franchise.
-The Coyotes recalled forward Brett MacLean from San Antonio of the AHL.
-The Sharks signed defenseman Sena Acolatse to a three-year entry-level contract. He is the first Bay Area-native to sign with the franchise.
-Kings defenseman Willie Mitchell (right) needed 40 stitches to close a cut on his face after he was struck with a puck against the Coyotes Thursday.
Adams Division
-Robert Morris hosts Mercyhurst in the first round of the Atlantic Hockey Association men's tournament tonight.
(Photos: Penguins/Devils-Bruce Bennett/Getty Images and Bill Kostroun/Associated Press; Ouellet and Rangers/Senators-Phillip MacCallum/Getty Images; Hurricanes/Blackhawks-Charles Rex Arbogast/Associated Press and Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images; Blue Jackets/Flames-Mike Ridewood/Getty Images; Hall-Jeff Gross/Getty Images; Stars/Ducks-Jae C. Hong/Associated Press; Mithcell-Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press)