Uh…well…if you heard, Sidney Crosby returned to the Pittsburgh Penguins lineup last night. Kind of big news I guess. Ah well, let’s get to his night.
The Night that Was:
Those who had waited nearly 11 months to see Crosby return to the lineup weren’t disappointed last night when he stepped on to the ice against the New York Islanders. He set up a chance that rang off a post just a minute in, and soon after that, Crosby opened the scoring as he cut through the neutral zone and rifled a backhand over Anders Nilsson (who has making his first NHL start). Brooks Orpik would score late in the first off of a backhand set up by Crosby to give the star two points in his first period back. Evgeni Malkin would score his sixth on the power play (Crosby assist) three minutes in to the second and Steven Sullivan would add another two minutes later. Crosby would add his second goal of the night in the third on a backhand from the side boards to seal a 5-0 Pens win. Crosby had four points, while Pascal Dupuis probably had the quietest three-point night of his career. Marc-Andre Fleury would make 29 saves for the win.
The Carolina Hurricanes upset the former-East leaders in Philadelphia last night with a big night from two under-the-radar players. Alex Ponikarovsky scored the opening goal of the game halfway through the period on the powerplay, and then Jeff Skinner added his ninth late in the first. James van Riemsdyk cut the lead in half just a minute in to the second, but two minutes after that Chad LaRose made it 3-1 with his sixth. Matt Read’s show-stopping rookie season continued when he scored his ninth on the power play, but Ponikarovsky’s second of the game gave the ‘Canes a 4-2 lead and that’s the way it would finish. Ponikarovsky would add an assist for a three-point night while LaRose added two helpers for his own three-point night. Cam Ward made 30 saves, and only allowed multiple points to Van Riemsdyk.
Carey Price had two-straight shutouts, while the Boston Bruins had won eight-straight…so something had to give, right? Well when Zdeno Chara and the Bruins visited the Habs, something did. Andrew Ference snapped the shutout streak 15:41 into the first to make it 1-0 Bruins. Price and Tim Thomas would duel the rest of the night, both making eight stops in the second, with Thomas standing tall in the third making 15 saves while Price contested with just five. It was Thomas finishing with the 1-0 shutout, as the Bruins won their ninth-straight as Price made 17 saves in the loss. Boston is in a three-way tie for the Northeast Division lead, while they are three points shy of first in the conference.
In Washington, the Capitals were hoping to earn a win after three losses last week and four in a row. Things didn’t look great at the beginning when Radim Vrbata scored on a short-handed breakaway early in the first, and after the rest of the period went by scoreless, Lauri Korpikoski scored shorthanded in the second to make it 2-0. After that the Caps woke up though, as John Carlson and Cody Eakin tied things up before the second was out, and Nicklas Backstrom and Brooks Laich made it 4-2. Korpikoski’s second made it 4-3 but the Coyotes couldn’t cut it any closer as the Caps held on for the victory. Backstrom finished with a goal and an assist, while Korpikoski was the only Coyotes with multiple points. Jason LaBarbera made his first start since November 3rd and made 31 saves while Thomas Vokoun got the win with just 20 stops.
The Rest of the Story…
It was a rare win for the Columbus Blue Jackets last night over the Calgary Flames. Vinny Prospal had three assists, two of them coming on goals by Jeff Carter, as Curtis Sanford made 27 saves for the win.
Kris Versteeg had a pair of goals to give him 11 on the season to lead the Panthers past the Devils. Versteeg and Stephen Weiss finished with 3-points each as Jose Theodore won his second-consecutive start.
11 different Dallas Stars recorded points last night in their 4-1 win over Edmonton. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored the only goal for the Oilers.
What’s on Tonight?
The Toronto Maple Leafs take a trip to Florida to take on the Tampa Bay Lightning, Los Angeles stop under the arch in St. Louis, and the Oilers make it two in two nights as they take on Nashville.
The Injury Bug:
-The Dallas Stars will be without Alex Goligoski and Adam Burish for at least a month. Burish has a hand injury, while Goligoski has a broken thumb.
-Steve Mason was hit in the mask by a shot during the morning skate and the Blue Jackets recalled Allen York. This situation could be eerily similar to Rick DiPietro’s from earlier this year.
-Chris Pronger is out again for the Flyers. This time the Philly defenseman has been sidelined with an undisclosed virus. He’s expected to undergo testing. Braydon Coburn missed last night’s game with an upper-body injury.
-Toronto will be without Matthew Lombardi for the foreseeable future. The forward suffered a dislocated shoulder last week, and while surgery might be recommended, nothing has been decided on yet.
-The Sabres have lost defenseman Tyler Myers for the next month with a broken wrist. Myers jammed the wrist on a play in his own end against the Coyotes last week.
News and Rumours Around the League:
-Carey Price (Montreal), Marc-Edouard Vlasic, and Matt Read took home the NHL’s Three-Stars of the Week award.
-Buffalo’s Patrick Kaleta was fined $2,500 for a high-stick to Derek Morris of the Phoenix Coyotes.
-Another fine was handed out yesterday, this one to Ryan Clowe of the San Jose Sharks. He received a $2,500 fine as well for slashing Stephane Robidas on Saturday.
The Overlooked Fantasy Line(s) of the Night:
In Sidney Crosby’s return…..we’re giving it to Pascal Dupuis. We’re going to (mostly) overlook the fact that he assisted purely on plays Crosby was in on, and assumed that if 87 didn’t come back last night, Dupuis would have been in on all five goals. Three helpers even-strength, a plus-three rating and two shots. And if you want someone NOT involved with the Isles/Pens game last night (It’s not like it was over-exposed or anything), check out Vinny Prospal’s three assist night (two even strength), while Alex Ponikarovsky and Chad LaRose each had three points for Carolina.
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