Empty Netter Assists - 03-28-12

Penguins

-Dave Molinari's recap from last night's game. "We're just not playing the right way lately." - Brooks Orpik.

-Newday's recap. "It's good to know we can win in this building." - Islanders forward Frans Nielsen on breaking a 13-game losing streak in Pittsburgh.

-The Associated Press' recap. “We got what we deserved tonight.” - Sidney Crosby.

-NHL.com's recap. The Penguins had a 10-game home winning streak snapped.

-Highlights:

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-Mike Lange's goal calls.

-Orpik speaks:

-Dan Bylsma speaks:

-New York's David Ullstrom > Deryk Engelland and Marc-Andre Fleury:

-Evgeni Nabokov alone in the dark:

-Kris Letang is dealing with a "lower-body" injury.

-Ben Lovjeoy will be sidelined three to four weeks due to a knee injury. (PG+)

-Happy 59th birthday to former Penguins defensemn Dennis Owchar (right). A second-round pick in 1973, Owchar spent parts of four seasons with the Penguins. As a rookie in 1974-75, Owchar appeared in 46 games and scored 17 points. In six postseason games that spring, he recorded one assist. He followed that up in 1975-76 by playing in 54 games and once again netting 17 points. He saw action in two postseason games that season and failed to record a point. In 1976-77, Owchar played in 46 games and accumulated 23 points. After 22 games and 10 points in 1977-78, Owchar was traded to the Colorado Rockies in exchange for Tom Edur. In 168 regular season games with the Penguins, Owchar recorded 67 points. In eight postseason games, he recorded one assist.

Atlantic Division

-Scoreboard Watch for the Penguins: Henrik Lundqvist made 24 saves for the Rangers who edged the Wild, 3-2. Ryan McDonagh recorded two assists for New York which leads the Eastern Conference and Atlantic Division with 103 points, three more than the Penguins who are in fourth and second place respectively.

-Check out this tricky little goal by New York's Marian Gaborik:

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-Pass of the Night: Minnesota's Dany Heatley with a nice little set up for captain Mikko Koivu:

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-“Don’t ask me about the Penguins. If you have questions about the Rangers, I’ll answer those.” - Rangers forward Brad Richards on the playoff race.

-Shootout goals by Patrik Elias and Travis Zajac gave the Devils a 2-1 win against the Blackhawks. Martin Brodeur made 37 saves in the victory.

-Brodeur sure likes spitting:

-Chicago's Patrick Kane being popular:

-Flyers goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov is dealing with a chip fracture in his right foot.

-The Flyers recalled defenseman Marc-Andre Bourdon and goaltender Jason Bacashihua from Adirondack of the AHL.

Northeast Division

-In a showdown for eighth place in the Eastern Conference, Drew Stafford scored two goals for the Sabres who routed the Capitals, 5-1. Tyler Ennis recorded two assists for Buffalo while teammate Ryan Miller made 44 saves.

-Defensive Play of the Night: Buffalo captain Jason Pominville stealing a puck off Washington captain Alex Ovechkin and scoring a shorthanded goal:

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-Miller and teammate Corey Tropp had a moment:

-Grim times on the Capitals' bench"

-Washington's Michael Neuvirth had issues with this puck:

-Sabres defenseman Christian Ehrhoff left the game in the first period due to a knee injury.

-Tim Thomas made all of 16 saves for the Bruins who beat the Lightning, 5-2. Captain Zdeno Chara recorded three assists for Boston while teammate David Krejci netted two assists.

-Check out the placement on this goal by Tampa Bay's Steven Stamkos:

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-The Maple Leafs were officially eliminated from playoff contention.

-With goaltender James Reimer dealing with an "upper-body" injury, the Maple Leafs recalled goaltender Jussi Rynnas from Toronto of the AHL.

-The Sabres demoted forward Travis Turnbull to Rochester of the AHL.

Southeast Division

-Wojtek Wolski's shootout goal gave the Panthers a 3-2 win against the Canadiens. Scott Clemmensen made 27 saves in the victory which snapped a three-game losing streak.

-Cam Ward made 30 saves for the Hurricanes in a 3-0 shutout of the Maple Leafs. Jussi Jokinen added a goal and an assist for Carolina while teammate Tuomo Ruutu recorded two assists.

-Forward Jim Slater (right) was named the Jets' nominee for the Masterton Trophy.

-The Jets signed defenseman Will O’Neill, a seventh-round pick in 2006. Terms were not revealed.

-The Panthers signed forward Drew Shore, a second-round pick in 2009, to an entry-level contract. Terms were not revealed.

-The Capitals signed undrafted defenseman Cameron Schilling, formerly of Miami, Ohio, to a two-year entry-level contract.

Central Division

-Brian Elliott made 24 saves for the Blues in a 3-0 shutout of the Predators. T.J. Oshie added a goal and an assist for St. Louis while captain David Backes recorded two assists.

-Goal of the Night: Check out this slick move which led to a goal by St. Louis' David Perron:

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-Old Man Goal of the Night: Check out this pass from St. Louis' Jason Arnott (37) to set up teammate Jamie Langenbrunner (36) for a goal:

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-Elliott tied a Blues record with his third consecutive shutout and set a new franchise mark with his ninth shutout of the season.

-Blackhawks defenseman Steve Montador returned to the lineup after missing 22 games due to an "upper-body" injury.

-Red Wings coach Mike Babcock expects to play the Predators in the first round of the playoffs.

Northwest Division

-Oilers forward Taylor Hall is expected to be sidelind five to six months following shoulder surgery.

-Forward Manny Malhotra (right) was named the Canucks' nominee for the Masterton Trophy.

-“I had dizziness and a lot of headaches during the day. I was sleeping 16-18 hours a day and, when I tried to do some light workouts, I ended up getting real sick and I'd be in bed for four days. By around the end of February, we almost had no choice but to just shut me down and not do anything. At that point, I couldn't get through a day without a lot of symptoms.” - Canucks defenseman Keith Ballard on a concussion which has sidelined him since Feb. 6.

-City officials in Vancouver are taking steps to avoid any repeats of riots in the postseason.

-The Wild signed forward Jason Zucker, a second-round pick in 2010, to a three-year entry-level contract.

Pacific Division

-Coyotes captain Shane Doan completed his three-game suspension for an elbow to the face of Stars forward Jamie Benn.

(Photos: Islanders/Penguins-Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press; Owchar-Penguins Hockey Cards; Rangers/Wild-Paul Battaglia/Associated Press; Blackhawks/Devils-Bruce Bennett/Getty Images; Sabres/Capitals-Rob Carr/Getty Images; Slater-Marianne Helm/Getty Images; Malhotra-Jeff Gross/Getty Images)