The Night that Was:
Ottawa welcomed last year’s All-Star hosts, the Carolina Hurricanes, to the site of this year’s All-Star game, and while the home side never trailed it was a tight one by the end. Jason Spezza opened the scoring just 55 seconds into the game with his seventh and it took until five minutes left in the period before Patrick Dwyer would tie it up. They wouldn’t stay tied for long though, as Spezza’s second came three minutes later on the power play (Sergei Gonchar and Erik Karlsson assisted on both of Spezza’s goals). It was also the 200th of Spezza’s career. David Rundblad would add his first NHL goal with just 14 seconds left in the second to send Ottawa to the third with a 3-1 lead. Eric Staal would cut the lead to one with his fifth before Zack Smith would make it a 4-2 game. Alex Ponikarovsky scored with just over three minutes to go to cut the lead to one, but that was it, as the Sens held on for a 4-3 win. Spezza, Gonchar and Karlsson were the only ones to finish with multiple points in the game as Craig Anderson made 34 saves for the victory.
Ken Hitchcock brought his new team, the St. Louis Blues, to Columbus yesterday, looking to hand his old team another loss on the season. After a scoreless first, the Jackets struck first when Derek Dorsett potted his third. With eight seconds left in the frame, another ex-Jacket got his revenged as Kris Russell scored his fifth on the season and third with St. Louis to tie the game at one. Partway through the third David Backes would put home his ninth on the power play, and that would be it. Brian Elliott made 23 saves for the win, his tenth on the season, and the third in a row overall for St. Louis. It was the 14th loss of the season for Columbus, the most of any team this season.
In a seven-goal game between Calgary and Minnesota, five of them came in the first period. Cal Clutterbuck’s sixth came just 1:57 in to give the Wild a 1-0 lead. Mark Giordano and Lee Stempniak would score soon after to give Calgary a 2-1 lead just seven minutes in, but Minnesota would tie it up at 8:06 thanks to Nick Johnson. The early scoring continued when TJ Brodie’s first of the season and first NHL goal gave the Flames a 3-2 lead at 8:45. After all of that early scoring, it wasn’t until 1:39 of the third when Alex Tanguay would make it a 4-2 lead, and Jarome Iginla’s seventh sealed a 5-2 Calgary victory. Nicklas Backstrom was pulled after the first three Calgary goals, as Josh Harding would finish up the last 51:15 of the game. Miikka Kiprusoff stopped 19 of 21 for the victory, as only seven Flames were held scoreless although none of them recorded multiple points.
The Toronto Maple Leafs made a rare trip to Anaheim last night, looking for a win. Former Leaf Francois Beauchemin exacted some revenge early on though, as he potted his third of the season on the power play nine minutes in. The Leafs got back on the board and nabbed a quick lead when Tyler Bozak scored at 14:!0 and Clarke MacArthur gave them a 2-1 lead at 14:29. Joey Crabb had the only goal of the second when he scored his fifth, and Bozak’s second of the game came just 47 seconds in to the third. Corey Perry hit double digits five minutes later with his tenth, but an insurance goal from Luke Schenn sealed a 5-2 Toronto win. Schenn joined Bozak, Joffrey Lupul and John-Michael Liles as Leafs with two points, while Joe Colbourne had an assist, giving him three points in a four-game call-up. Jonas Gustavsson made 26 saves, outdoing Jonas Hiller’s 23-save night.
What’s on Tonight?
Four games on the schedule as Tampa Bay heads to Minnesota and Colorado hosts Dallas. The late theme continues as Nashville heads to Edmonton and San Jose meets up with the Kings in Los Angeles.
The Injury Bug:
-After getting struck by a puck in the side of the head during a scary incident Saturday, Detroit announced that Patrick Eaves would be out for up to 2-months with a broken jaw that requires surgery.
-Another Saturday night injury resulted in an IR trip, as Dallas placed Kari Lehtonen on injured reserve with a groin injury. He suffered the injury making a routine save Saturday. Dallas Captain Brenden Morrow was also placed on IR over the weekend.
-Taylor Hall is listed as questionable for Monday’s game with a left shoulder injury, but it’s probably much more serious than that, after he crashed hard into the boards shoulder-first Saturday night against Colorado. Hall left the game but returned, and later took a cross check to the same arm. He left the game for good soon after.
News and Rumours Around the League:
-The Washington Capitals relieved Bruce Boudreau of his Head Coaching duties today, and named Dale Hunter his replacement. Hunter has coached the Ontario Hockey League’s London Knights since 2001/02, a stint that included a Memorial Cup Championship in 2005. Hunter spent 11 ½ seasons with Washington as a player. He will make his debut behind the bench Tuesday against St. Louis.
-Carolina Head Coach Paul Maurice joined Boudreau on the firing line, as the ‘Canes fired their two-time Head Coach and replaced him with Kirk Muller. For Muller, this is the call many thought he would get in the off-season, but he ended up as Head Coach in Milwaukee of the AHL instead. He was an assistant with Montreal for five seasons before that.
-Max Pacioretty will have an over-the-phone hearing today for his hit Saturday night against Pittsburgh. Pacioretty delivered a hit to the head of Pittsburgh’s Kris Letang, breaking Letang’s nose.
The Overlooked Fantasy Line(s) of the Night:
It goes to Spezza on the night he gets his 200th. Two goals, one on the power play, five shots, four penalty minutes, and 9/17 on faceoffs. A pretty complete night. Tyler Bozak (2 goals, 1 PPG, 6 shots, +1) and Luke Schenn (1 goal, 1 assist, +3) deserve some recognition as well.
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