There have been several trades this season, some have worked, while others haven't had much of an impact. Tonight, several teams saw their new players lead them to victory, lets take a look shall we?
In his first game as a Flame, Huselius looked very strong, as he assisted on all three Calgary goals. Langkow added two goals for the Flames, and Reghyr notched two assists as they edged the Penguins 3-2. Crosby scored for the Penguins, who continue to struggle. Fleury was in net and takes the loss, while Kiprusoff gets the win for the Flames.
The Bruins picked up Tanabe recently in a trade with Phoenix, and he is really paying off. Tanabe scored the OT winner, and added an assist as the Bruins beat the Oilers 5-4 in OT. Brad Boyes had a good game for the Bruins, scoring twice and adding an assist, while Bergeron had a two point night. Pisani led the Oilers with two goals and an assist. Toivonen got his second straight win for the Bruins, who are 2-0 since trading Joe Thornton.
Joe Thornton has brought a winning attitude to San Jose, as the Sharks are 2-0 since picking him up. San Jose came back from a 3-1 deficit to beat the Maple Leafs 5-4. McCauley scored twice for the Sharks, while Patrick Marleau had a goal and two assists. Steen led the Leafs with two assist. Toskala got the win for San Jose, who is replacing the injured Nabokov. With the loss, Belfour failed to move into second place all-time on the wins list.
Other Scores From Tonight...
Rangers 1 Capitals 5 / Final
Wild 2 New Jersey 3 /Final (SO)
Kings 2 Canadiens 3 / Final
Blackhawks 3 Panthers 4 / Final (SO)
Flyers 3 Predators 4 / Final (SO)
Hurricanes 4 Coyotes 8 / Final
Thrashers 1 Ducks 2 / Final
Player of the Night?? Ladislav Nagy is the clear winner, as he scored three times and added two assists for a total of five points. His Coyotes doubled up the Hurricanes 8-4. Ovechkin is the runner up, as he scored once and added four assists in the Caps 5-1 win over the Rangers. That loss snapped the Rangers 6 game win streak.
Sebastian Caron was put on, and cleared waivers, in the last 24 hours. He will be sent to the AHL, leaving Fleury and Thibault as the two Penguin's goalies. The Vancouver Canucks acquired goaltender Maxime Ouellet from the Washington Capitals in exchange for a fifth-round pick in the 2006 draft. Ouellet has a lot of promise, but has struggled in the Caps organization. Then again, other than Ovechkin, who hasn't?
As the Penguins continue to struggle, the rumour wire will heat up. Pittsburgh could have a huge fire sale at some point this season, with players like Palffy and Gonchar finding themselves being shopped around the league. Teams cannot afford to make mistakes with the new salary cap, and teams like Boston, Florida, Pittsburgh and Atlanta are teams that could shed a lot of salary if things do not go well. Another team who will have to shed some salary at some point? Tampa Bay...I'd be surprised if Brad Richards stays in Tampa past the trade deadline.
Brian Burke has his heart set on signing Bertuzzi this offseason, but he needs shed some salary in order to afford him. Keith Carney, Sandis Ozolinsh and Petr Sykora are all players he'd like to deal before the deadline. Toronto has shown interest in Carney, while Toronto could send Colaiacovo to Anaheim. Obviously there would be more to this deal, maybe an Antropov or Chistov involved. The Leafs are no longer shopping Ponikarovsky, but will still listen to offers.
The Panthers have played a little better over the past week, but that doesn't mean Keenan won't pull another deal. He got rid of Huselius (who looks great as a Flame), and another move should be made soon. The Islanders are looking to move a defenseman, while Carolina would like to add one. That being said, they won't deal with each other.
