Marek Malik finally scored, as the New York Rangers beat the Washington Capitals in the longest shootout thus far in the NHL. The shootout went to the 15th round, where each team had three goals in the shootout each, but it was Malik's goal that finally broke the tie. The Rangers improve to 4-1 in the shootout this season.
Jason Blake continued to play great, scoring a hat-trick in the Islanders 4-2 win over the Flyers. Umberger was the Flyers best player, as he scored both of their goals. Mark Parrish also had a great game, notching three assists. Garth Snow got the win in goal for the Isles.
Mats Sundin scored his first OT winner of the season, as the Toronto Maple Leafs slid by the Montreal Canadiens 4-3 in OT. Sundin and O'Neill each had a goal and an assist for Toronto, while Toronto outshot their opponent for the first time in a long time, edging the Habs 37-33 in the shot department. Belfour gets the win in goal, Theodore gets the loss.
Alfredsson and Spezza each had three point nights, as Ottawa doubled up Boston 4-2. Ottawa deserved to win this game, outshooting Boston 40-24. Isbister led Boston with a goal and an assist. Hasek got the win, Raycroft picks up the loss.
Florida continues to lose, as they got blasted by the Thrashers, loosing 7-4. Florida has now lost 13 of their last 14 games, including nine straight road losses. Marc Savard led the Thrashers with two goals and two assists, while Modry also had a good game, picking up three assists. Garnett got the win in goal for Atlanta, who with the win, snap a three game loosing streak.
Columbus snapped a seven-game loosing streak last night, beating the Blues 4-3. Vyborny and Malhotra each had two point nights, while Prusek got the win in goal for Columbus. Jackman was the Blues' best player, scoring twice in the game.
Niko Kapanen had two assists, while Dallas outshot Nashville 32-24, leading to a 3-1 victory. Lehtinen, Barnes and Miettinen scored for Dallas, while Legwand scored for Nashville. Turco gets the win in goal, Vokoun picks up the loss.
Curtis Joseph stopped 34 of 35 shots, leading Phoenix to a 2-1 victory over Vancouver. O'Donnell and Nagy scored for Phoenix, with Nagy also adding an assist. Carter had Vancouver's only goal, while Alex Auld gets the loss in net for the Canucks.
LA slipped by Chicago 3-2 last night. Frolov had a goal and an assist, while Demitra and Robitaille also had goals for the Kings. Garon got the win in goal for the Kings, who continue to play very well this season. Mark Bell led Chicago with a goal and an assist, while Kyle Calder had Chicago's other goal.
Detroit beat San Jose 7-6 last night in a game that featured a lot of scoring (ya, thats obvious I guess by now). Schneider scored a hat trick for the Wings, and Shanahan added two assists. Other big players for Detroit were Lang, who had three assists and Williams, who added a goal and an assist. McCauley had a goal and two assists for the Sharks, and Thornton had a goal and an assist. The two goalies were Osgood and Nabokov, who were responsible for all 13 goals last night.
Trade rumours? Things have been quiet, but we'll see what I can find. Steve Rucchin could be on his way back to Anaheim in a deal for Petr Sykora. Sykora is currently hurt, and won't be moved until he is healthy. Phoenix and San Jose are two other teams that I have heard are showing interest in the veteran winger.
San Jose could really start shaking things up soon if they don't start winning. Scott Hannan and Brad Stuart would attract a lot of attention, as would Nils Ekman and Marco Sturm. This could be a situation to watch very closely if San Jose continues to struggle.
Florida is about to explode, with every name from Weiss, to Luongo, to Jokinen, to Van Ryn being thrown around. Keenan is close to shaking things up, and it could be major. Colorado has expressed interest in Luongo, though the current belief is that Luongo is the only player Florida is not willing to trade. Maybe someone will take Roberts or Neiuwendyk off of Keenan's hands? No, nobody would.
Thats all for this morning, expect a recap of tonight's games later tonight. Q & A with James Duthie will be up today, as will my Power Rankings. Enjoy your Sunday.
