Empty Netter Assists - 05-11-12

Penguins

-After missing the first five games of the series due to an undisclosed injury, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton defenseman Brian Strait (right) could return for tonight's Game 6 against the St. John's IceCaps in their Calder Cup Eastern Conference quarterfinal series.

-Happy 51st birthday to former Penguins defenseman Joe McDonnell. A free-agent signing midway through the 1984-85 season, McDonnell spent parts of two seasons with the Penguins. In 1984-85, he appeared in 40 games and recorded 11 points. The following season, he only appeared in three games and failed to record a point. In the 1987 offseason, he was released. He is currently the director of amateur scouting for the Red Wings.

-Happy 55th birthday to former Penguins defenseman Greg Tebbutt. A free agent signing in the 1983 offseason, "Truck" Tebbutt appeared in 4 games for the 1983-84 Penguins and recorded two assists. The following season, he joined the Muskegon Mohawks of the IHL.

-Happy 30th birthday to former Penguins forward Janne Pesonen (right). A free agent signing in the 2008 offseason, Pesonen appeared in seven games for the 2008-09 Penguins and failed to record a point. The following offseason, he signed with Ak Bars Kazan in Russia's KHL. He currently plays for HIFK of Finland's SM-liiga.

-Happy 42nd birthday to former Penguins defenseman Todd Nelson. A fourth-round pick in 1989, Nelson's Penguins' career amounted to one game in the 1991-92 season. In the 1993 offseason, he signed with the Capitals.

IIHF World Championships

-Evgeni Malkin had a goal for Russia which defeated Denmark, 3-1.

-Malkin's goal:

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-Malkin had a chat with teammate and former Canadiens forward Alexander Perezhogin:

-If you know Russian, here's Malkin talking about visiting Russia's embassy in Stockholm:

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-A goal and an assist by former Red Wings forward Justin Abdelkader led the United States past Belarus, 5-3.

-Belarus' Andrei Mezin had issues with this puck:

-Former Penguins forward Petr Nedved scored a goal for the Czech Republic in a 3-1 defeat of Latvia.

-A good look at Nedved's goal against Latvia's Edgars Masalskis:

-Happy times for Nedved:

-Lativa's Krisjanis Redlihs took a spill here:

-Wild captain Mikko Koivu collected a goal and four assists for Finland which routed France, 7-1.

-Cool Photo of the Day: Finland defenseman and former Flyer/Blackhawk Lasse Kukkonen tied up France's Anthony Guttig here:

Playoff Stuff

Rangers - Capitals

-"You have to get together here and play our absolute best hockey of the year with a Game 7 at home." - Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist on Saturday's Game 7.

-Capitals forward Jay Beagle is day to day due to a suspected right leg injury.

-Two days before Game 7, the wife of Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby gave birth to a boy.

Devils

-According to the Newark Star-Ledger, Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final will be held Monday.

-Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur (right) is not a fan of the Rangers.

Coyotes - Kings

-"I think it was the Diamondbacks who said no, but the Coyotes probably wouldn't have liked it, either." - Coyotes captain Shane Doan on having batting practice with the Arizona Diamondbacks canceled out of fear of injury.

Non-Playoff Stuff

Atlantic Division

-"What I lived through this season I wouldn't wish to an enemy…" - Flyers goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov.

-"Did he play as good as I expected this year. I'd probably say, no." - Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren on Bryzgalov.

-Will Flyers forward and former Penguins captain Jaromir Jagr test the free agent market again?

-"I've said that before, if Matt wants to be here, we'd like to have him back." - Holmgren on the future of defenseman Matt Carle (right) who is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason.

Northeast Division

-The Senators signed defenseman Fredrik Claesson, a fifth-round pick in 2011, to a three-year entry-level contract.

Central Division

-“I know he really loves the city, I know his wife is happy here, I know it fits his personality, I have a good feeling.” - Predators general manager David Poile on the potential of re-signing unrestricted free agent defenseman Ryan Suter.

Northwest Division

-The Wild re-signed defenseman Clayton Stoner to a two-year contract worth a total of $2.1 million. He will have a salary cap hit of 1.05 million. Stoner, who was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason, appeared in 51 games this past season and recorded five points (one goal, four assists).

-EN Says: Stoner is a large (6-foot-3, 225 pounds) physical defenseman who offers a stay at home game and can play a solid 18 minutes a game. He's a decent option as a No. 5-6 defenseman.

Pacific Division

-The Ducks signed coach Bruce Boudreau (right) to a two-year contract extension. The contract runs through the 2014-15 season. Taking over in midseason, Boudreau led Anaheim to a 27-23-8 record in 2010-11.

-EN Says: Boudreau turned around the Ducks after a putrid start under previous coach Randy Carlyle. If the team hadn't started off so poorly, Boudreau could have steered this team to the postseason.

Adams Division

-Former Red Wings/Lightning/Sharks forward Shawn Burr is dealing with leukemia.

-Former Stars/Coyotes forward Mathias Tjärnqvist has joined Rögle of Sweden's Elitserien.

(Photos: Strait and Boudreau-Bruce Bennett/Getty Images; Pesonen-Doug Benc/Getty Images; IIHF-Claudio Bresciani/Associated Press, Alexander Nemenov/AFP/GettyImages and Martin Rose/Bongarts/Getty Images; Brodeur-Joel Auerbach/Getty Images; Carle-Rob Carr/Getty Images)