Empty Netter Assist - 01-23-12
Penguins
-Zbynek Michalek and Washington Captain Alex Ovechkin will have a talking-to with NHL discipline czar Brendan Shanahan today.
-Dave Molinari's recap from yesterday's game. "He's been playing the best hockey I've ever seen." - Kris Letang on Evgeni Malkin.
-The Washington Post's recap. - "(Capitals goaltender Michal Neuvirth) was coming hard, and he would’ve been there. Most guys would have took another second and he would have had it.” - Capitals coach Dale Hunter on Malkin's overtime goal.
-The Associated Press' recap. “(Malkin’s) controlling the game so well right now." - Ovechkin.
-NHL.com's recap. - "I just am enjoying the game, you know? And having fun." - Malkin.
-Highlights:
-Tyler Kennedy versus Washington's Troy Brouwer:
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-Dan Bylsma speaks:
-Malkin speaks:
-James Neal speaks:
-Happy times in Pittsburgh:
-Hunter wanted his team to watch the Kiss Cam:
-We think.
-A good look at Marc-Andre Fleury getting down low on a save against Washington's Matt Hendricks:
-Bright times for Malkin:
-Leery times for Ovechkin:
-Chris Kunitz staring down Washington's Dennis Wideman:
-Brooks Orpik going stick on puck against Hendricks:
-Nice hat:
-"To take hockey away from him has got to be a lot harder on him than most of the other guys in the league." - Orpik on Sidney Crosby.
-Brad Thiessen made 32 saves for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in a 4-3 defeat of the Syracuse Crunch. Alex Grant recorded two assists for the Penguins who have won six consecutive games.
-Happy 50th birthday to former Penguins defenseman and picnic jug enthusiast (below) Randy Boyd. A third-round pick in 1980, Boyd spent parts of three seasons with the Penguins. As a rookie in 1981-82, Boyd appeared in 23 games and recorded two assists. He played in three playoff games that spring and failed to record a point. In 1982-83, Boyd saw action in 56 games and scored 18 points. After five ganes and one assist in 1983-84, Boyd was traded to the Blackhawks in exchange for Greg Fox. In 84 regular season games, Randy Boyd scored 21 points.
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-Happy 34th birthday to former Penguins forward Martin Sonnenberg. A free agent signing prior to 1998-99, Sonnenberg spent parts of two seasons with the Penguins. As a rookie in 1998-99, he appeared in 44 games and scored two points. He followed that up in 1999-2000 by playing in 14 games and netting three points. After spending the next two seasons with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, he joined the Flames as a free agent in the 2002 offseason. In 58 games with the Penguins, he scored five points. He currently plays for the Bentley Generals of the Chinook Hockey League in Alberta.
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-Happy 38th birthday to former Penguins defenseman Joel Bouchard. Acquired midway through the 2002-03 season along with Richard Lintner, Rico Fata and Mikael Samuelsson in a deal which sent Mike Wilson, Alex Kovalev, Janne Laukkanen and Dan LaCouture to the Rangers, Bouchard's Penguins' career amounted to seven games and one assist that campaign. During the 2003 offseason, he joined the Sabres as a free agent.
Atlantic Division
-The Devils demoted forward Steve Zalewski to Albany of the AHL.
Northeast Division
-Shootout goals by David Krejci and Tyler Seguin gave the Bruins a wild fight-filled 6-5 win against the Flyers. Seguin, Krejci, Patrice Bergeron and Milan Lucic each had a regulation goal and an assist for Boston while teammate Adam McQuaid recorded two assists. Tim Thomas made 33 saves in the victory. Scott Hartnell had a hat trick for Philadelphia.
-Lucic ended up getting a Gordie Howe hat trick:
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-Hartnell's regular hat trick:
-Hit of the Day: Philadelphia's Brayden Schenn on Boston's Steven Kampfer:
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-Bruins forward Nathan Horton left the game in the third period after being struck in the head by Flyers forward Tom Sestito.
-Bruins defenseman and former Penguin Andrew Ference was suspended three games for a hit from behind on Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh.
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-The Senators demoted forward Stephane Da Costa to Binghamton of the AHL.
-Canadiens goaltender Carey Price is dealing with a cut to an undisclosed body part.
-"I don't know what to tell you guys. You're asking us for answers we don't have." - Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller on his team's free fall which has it in 14th place o the Eastern Conference.
Southeast Division
-The Lightning demoted defenseman Evan Oberg to Norfolk of the AHL.
Central Division
-The NHL has decided not to suspend Red Wings forward Henrik Zetterberg for a shove from behind which injured Blue Jackets defenseman Nikita Nikitin Saturday. The hit in question:
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-Nikitin suffered a knee injury on the play and is expected to be sidelined two games.
-EN Says: NHL discipline czar Brendan Shanahan felt there wasn't any sort of intent by Zetterberg on the play. That probably accurate as this play resulted in Zetterberg first career major penalty. He's clearly a clean player. But how can you truly judge intent? Only one person know for sure what Zetterberg's intentions were on that play. Furthermore, why is intent the determining factor? If Zetterberg had intentionally shoved, would that impact the severity of Nikitin's injury? Punish the action. Not the intent or the result.
Northwest Division
-Wild owner Craig Leipold is still pushing to get a Winter Classic in Minnesota.
-"It wasn’t like I would drink every day, but when you go out, you would get plastered up pretty good, and it would take two or three days to recover. When you get older, that gets even harder and harder — you can’t do that very often. I’d have a major headache for several days, and that was the part I didn’t enjoy.” - Flames forward Olli Jokinen (right) on his decision to give up alcohol six years ago.
-The Oilers recalled forwards Lennart Petrell, Teemu Hartikainen and defenseman Taylor Chorney from Oklahoma City of the AHL.
Pacific Division
-Bobby Ryan scored two goals for the Ducks in a 3-2 win against the Avalanche. Captain Ryan Getzlaf added a goal and an assist for Anaheim while teammate Jonas Hiller made 43 saves. The Ducks are 8-0-1 in their past nine games. Gabriel Landeskog recorded two assists.
-Pass of the Night: Getzlaf's breakout pass setting up Ryan for a breakaway:
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-The Stars placed forward Jamie Benn (appendectomy) on injured reserve and recalled forward Matt Fraser from Texas of the AHL.
(Photos: Capitals/Penguins-Justin K. Aller/Getty Images and Don Wright/Associated Press; Jokinen-Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)