Empty Netter Assists - 10-29-11
Penguins
-"I think he's surprising a lot of people, but I'm not so sure it's a surprise to him." - Dan Bylsma on Matt Niskanen (above).
-Joe Vitale was happy with last night's World Series result. (PG+)
-Behold the legend of cardboard Brooks Orpik:
-Nick Petersen and Jason Williams each had a goal and an assist for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in a 5-3 defeat of the Syracuse Crunch. Brad Thiessen made 35 saves in the win.
-Zach Torquato's overtime goal gave the Wheeling Nailers a 3-2 win against the Gwinnett Gladiators. Andrew Hotham netted a goal and an assist for the Nailers while Peter Delmas made 21 saves.
-Happy 67th birthday to former Penguins forward Stan Gilbertson (right). Acquired midway through the 1975-76 season in a deal which sent Harvey Bennett, Jr. to the Capitals, Gilbertson spent parts of two seasons with the Penguins. He finished 1975-76 by appearing in 48 games and scoring 21 points. In the 1976 postseason, he played in three games and scored two points. His final NHL season was 1976-77. He saw action in 67 games and contributed 15 points. In the 1977 offseason, he lost his leg in an automobile accident in Rostraver. In 115 regular season games with the Penguins, Gilbertson scored 36 points.
Atlantic Division
-With goaltender Evgeni Nabokov day to day due to a "lower-body" injury, the Islander may give goaltender Rick DiPietro his first start of the season tonight against Nabokov's old team, the Sharks.
-The Rangers broke up forwards Marian Gaborik and Brad Richards off a line combination together.
Northeast Division
-Sabres forward Jochen Hecht suffered a setback in his recovery from a concussion he suffered the second day of training camp.
Southeast Division
-Cam Ward made 30 saves and led the Hurricanes to a 3-0 shutout of the Blackhawks. It was his 17th career shutout.
-Ward kept his eyes on this puck:
-Linesman Johnny Murray tried to steer clear of this confrontation with Chicago's Sean O'Donnell and Carolina's Chad LaRose:
-The Jets demoted forward Aaron Gagnon to St. John's of the AHL and placed forward Brett MacLean on waivers.
Central Division
-Blues forward David Perron is still slowly recovering from a concussion which has kept him out of the lineup for nearly a year.
-Matthew Hulsizer has signed a purchase agreement to sign the Blues.
-The Blue Jackets recalled forward Matt Calvert from Springfield of the AHL and demoted forward Maksim Mayorov and defenseman David Savard to Springfield.
Northwest Division
-Roman Horak had a goal and an assist for the Flames who defeated the Blues, 3-1. Teammates Curtis Glencross and Tim Jackman each recorded two assists while Miikka Kiprusoff made 28 saves for Calgary.
-Kiprusoff juuuuuust barely kept this puck out:
-A goal and two assists led the Oilers to a 3-1 defeat of the Avalanche. Devan Dubnyk made 40 saves in the victory.
-Oilers defenseman/"expert" seeker Andy Sutton appeared to strike Avalanche forward Gabriel Landeskog in the head last night:
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-The Oilers have opted to keep junior-eligible forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, the first-overall pick in this year's draft, on the NHL roster.
-With former Penguins defenseman Ryan Whitney sidelined three weeks due to a sprained knee, Edmonton recalled defenseman Jeff Petry from Oklahoma City of the AHL.
Pacific Division
-Two goals by captain Joe Thornton helped the Sharks beat the Red Wings, 4-2. Ryane Clowe and Patrick Marleau each added a a goal and an assist for San Jose while teammate Martin Havlat recorded two assists. Antti Niemi made 30 saves in the victory. Pavel Datsyuk and captain Nicklas Lidstrom each collected two assists for Detroit.
-Savvy Veteran Play of the Night: Lidstrom banking a shot off those infamous boards at Joe Louis Arena to set up teammate Henrik Zetterberg for a goal:
-The Ducks demoted forwards Patrick Maroon and Jean-Francois Jacques to Syracuse of the AHL.
-The Coyotes acquired forward Cal O'Reilly from the Predators in exchange for a fourth-round draft pick in 2012. In five games this season, he has one assist.
-Phoenix demoted defenseman Chris Summers to Portland of the AHL.
-Kings defenseman Drew Doughty is expected to return to the lineup tonight after missing five games due to an "upper-body" injury.
Adams Division
-Former Islanders/Oilers forward Robert Nilsson has joined Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod of the KHL.
-Eric Levine made 31 saves for the Robert Morris Men's team in a 5-2 loss to Michigan State.
-Max Strang made 49 saves for the Mercyhurst men's team in a 2-1 defeat of RIT.
-Kristen DiCiocco made 24 saves for the Robert Morris women's team in a 2-2 tie with St. Cloud State.
-Hillary Pattenden made 14 saves for the Mercyhurst women's team in a 7-0 shutout of Lindenwood.
(Photos: Niskanen-Jamie Squire/Getty Images; Gilbertson-Penguins Hockey Cards; Blackhawks/Hurricanes-Karl B DeBlaker/Associated Press; Blues/Flames-Jeff McIntosh/Canadian Press)