Empty Netter Assists - 03-11-11
Penguins
-"If we’re going to have supplementary discipline it can’t just be a punitive tool, it has to be a legislative tool. And I think we really have to take a hard look at it and try to make sure that teams are held accountable for the behaviour of their players, and that’s us included.” - Penguins CEO David Morehouse (above).
-Dan Bylsma's players seem pretty happy with his new contract.
-Bylsma speaks:
-Goaltender prospect Brad Thiessen is ripping up the AHL this season.
-Mario Lemieux's entire uniform from the 1990 All-Star Game is up for bids.
-Gary Roberts and Bryan Trottier will be among the Penguins' alumni who will participate in the team's fantasy camp this weekend.
-EN reader Eric Naughton, who has provided on-site photos for some of our live game blogs involving games on the West Coast, is filming a documentary about his recovery from cancer and his love for hockey. The Penguins were kind enough to offer him a tour of Consol Energy Center as part of his movie recently:
-Happy 35th birthday to former Penguins forward Nils Ekman. Acquired in the 2006 offseason in a deal which sent a draft pick to the Sharks, Ekman, appeared in 34 games for the 2006-07 Penguins and recorded 15 points. In an 4-3 home loss to the Lightning, Nov. 8, 2006, he did set the franchise record for fastest hat trick when he scored three goals in a span of 4:10 (below). He played in one postseason game that spring and failed to record a point. The following offseason, he signed with Khimik Mytischi in Russia. He is currently a member of Djurgården of the Elitserien in Sweden.
{youtube width="480" height="390"}Cvgut1Clrtw{/youtube}
-Happy 25th birthday to former Penguins forward Paul Bissonnette. A fourth-round pick in 2003, Bissonnette's only season with the Penguins saw him play in 15 games while recording one assist and 22 penalty minutes in 2008-09. During the 2009 offseason, he was claimed off waivers from the Coyotes. He is still a member of the Coyotes.
{youtube width="480" height="390"}fzFRY7nkwbk{/youtube}
Happy 70th birthday to former Penguins forward Bill LeCaine. A free agent signing in the 1967 offseason, Lecaine's NHL career amounted to four games with the 1968-69 Penguins. The following season, he joined the Port Huron Flags of the IHL. The first native American in NHL history, Lecaine is currently the vice president of sales for Arrow Technologies, a Colorado-based company which "specializes in the design and installation of customized copper and fiber optic systems."
Atlantic Division
-Scoreboard Watch for the Penguins: A goal and an assist by Claude Giroux led the Flyers to a 3-2 win against the Maple Leafs. Brian Boucher made 27 saves in the victory. The Flyers are in first place in the Eastern Conference and Atlantic Division with 90 points, four more than the Penguins who are in fourth and second place respectively.
-Toronto's Mikhail Grabovski actually scored a goal by having a puck bank off his face:
-Check out this move by Toronto's Mike Brown on Philadelphia's Sean O'Donnell to set up Joffrey Lupul for a goal:
-Another day. Another careless, brain-dead hit. This time it was by Toronto's Mike Komisarek on Philadelphia's Daniel Carcillo:
{youtube width="480" height="390"}3o4U6nad1XI{/youtube}
-Flyers defenseman Chris Pronger skipped the game on account of a hand injury.
Northeast Division
-Scoreboard Watch for the Penguins: An overtime goal and an assist by Brad Boyes led the Sabres to a 4-3 win at Boston. Teammates Tyler Ennis and Thomas Vanek each added a goal and an assist while Ryan Miller made 26 saves in the victory. Captain Zdeno Chara had two assists for the Bruins. The Bruins are in third place in the Eastern Conference with 85 points, one less than the Penguins.
-Erik Karlsson scored two goals for the Senators in a 2-1 win at Florida. Craig Anderson made 33 saves in the victory.
-We're going to assume Karlsson didn't use this stick to score either of his goals:
-Anderson kept his eyes on this puck:
-As did Florida's Scott Clemmensen:
-Senators defenseman and former Penguin Sergei Gonchar recorded his 500th career assist. Fire Ray Shero.
-Interestingly, Senators forward Francis Lessard was ejected for this fairly innocent-looking hit on Panthers forward Scott Timmons:
{youtube width="480" height="300"}pO91qqDXN2g{/youtube}
-Canadiens forward Max Pacioretty was released from the hospital two days after suffering a concussion and a broken vertebrae as a result of a hit by Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara.
-The Canadiens 'Geoff Molson joined Mario Lemieux as the lastest owner to criticize the NHL over how it handles discipline. In a letter to fans, Molson said:
"The Montreal Canadiens organization does not agree with the decision taken yesterday by the National Hockey League. We can assure you that we have made our position clear to Commissioner Gary Bettman, and that he has agreed to make this issue a priority at the next General Manager’s meeting, which will be held in Florida on March 14-16. Pierre Gauthier, our General Manager, will be present at this meeting and has already expressed his wish to carry out, clearly, our message to his 29 counterparts and to the League."
-NHLPA head Donald Fehr offered a "no comment" on the hit.
-Montreal police opened a criminal investigation into the hit.
-Following Air Canada's threat to cease being a sponsor of the NHL in the aftermath of the Chara hit, commissioner Gary Bettman (right) essentially threatened to to cease using the airline as a carrier.
-Thinking Out Loud: So instead of addressing the problem, Bettman decides the better course of action is to engage in a childish verbal clash? Got it.
-The Sabres are already undergoing some major and subtle changes - such as a $20,000 rug with the team's logo in the locker room - under the ownership of Terry Pegula.
-The Senators signed forward Derek Grant, a fourth-round pick in 2009, to a three-year entry-level contract.
Southeast Division
-Lightning defenseman Pavel Kubina was suspended three games for elbowing Blackhawks forward Pavel Kubina in the head Wednesday:
{youtube width="480" height="300"}rGLoXMmwzBU{/youtube}
-The Hurricanes recalled forward Drayson Bowman from Charlotte of the AHL.
-The Thrashers recalled forward Ben Maxwell from Chicago of the AHL.
Central Division
-Jaroslav Halak made 27 saves and led the Blues to a 4-1 win against his former team, the Canadiens. Andy McDonald had a goal and two assists for St. Louis while teammate Matt D'Agostini added a goal and an assist.
-It wasn't all bad for the Canadiens. Check out this re-direction goal by Jeff Halpern:
{youtube width="480" height="300"}dM1pwaJc5xE{/youtube}
-A good look at Halak's lid:
-And the lid of Montreal's Carey Price:
-Pekke Rinne made 19 saves for the Predators in a 4-0 shutout of the Wild. Nick Spaling had two goals for Nashville while teammates Martin Erat and Joel Ward each added a goal and an assist.
-Funny Face of the Night: Minnesota's Warren Peters:
-The Blues recalled forward Dave Scatchard from Peoria of the AHL on an emergency basis.
-Blues forward Alex Steen (ankle) and defenseman Barrett Jackman (finger) will be sidelined four to six weeks.
-The Red Wings recalled defenseman Doug Janik from Grand Rapids of the AHL.
-With defenseman Kevin Klein dealing with a foot injury, the Predators recalled defenseman Teemu Laakso from Milwaukee of the AHL.
Northwest Divisiona
-Alex Burrows' shootout goal gave the Canucks a thrilling 5-4 win at San Jose. Daniel Sedin had a goal and an assist in regulation for Vancouver while teammate Henrik Sedin added two assists. Cory Schneider made 44 saves in the victory. Ryan Clowe scored two goals in regulation for the Sharks.
-Check out the set-up pass by Daniel Sedin to set up Burrows for a regulation goal:
{youtube width="480" height="300"}GcIoibHurOc{/youtube}
-Goal of the Night: San Jose's Torrey Mitchell:
-Clowe actually scored a goal with 20 seconds left in regulation to send the game to overtime:
-Henrik Sedin ripped the NHL for not suspending Chara on account of not having a prior history in regards to discipline. Said Sedin: "I don't see the reasoning behind it. Give him at least something to show that's not acceptable.”
-Oilers forward Sam Gagner will miss the rest of the season due to a severed tendon in his left hand.
-The Oilers recalled defenseman Jeff Petry from Oklahoma City of the AHL and demoted defenseman Alex Plante to Oklahoma City.
-The Wild demoted forward Casey Wellman to Houston of the AHL.
Pacific Division
-Ilya Brzygalov made 39 saves for the Coyotes in a 3-0 shutout of the Flames. It was Bryzgalov's sixth shutout of the season.
-A good look at the lid of Calgary's Henrik Karlsson:
-The Goldwater Institute isn't popular with at least one fan in Arizona:
-Sharks captain Joe Thornton jumped on the "NHL-has-no-discipline" bandwagon and sort of accused the NHL of giving the Bruins a break when it comes to discipline. Thornton used to play for the Bruins.
-With 54 points, is Ducks defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky making a case for the Norris Trophy?
Adams Division
-If you were hoping Gary Bettman would be going away some time soon, don't hold you're breath. He agreed to a five year contract extension in November.
(Photos: Morehouse-Post-Gazette; Senators/Panhters-Bruce Bennett/Getty Images and Steve Mitchell/Associated Press; Bettman-Jim Rogash/Getty Images; Canadiens/Blues-Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images; Wild/Predators-Frederick Breedon/Getty Images; Flames/Coyotes-Christian Petersen/Getty Images)