When San Jose had lost ten straight, they made a deal to forever change their team, as they added Joe Thornton to their lineup. So far, it's paid off. Thornton added two assists, and Marleau had a three point night as the Sharks won their fourth straight game, beating Florida 6-2. Luongo remains in the doghouse in Florida, has he was sat tonight in favor of Mclennan, who replaced him midway through Wednesday nights game. Smith and Langfeld also had two point nights for the Sharks, who don't appear to be missing Sturm or Stuart too much.
J.S. Giguere returned to the net for Anaheim, but it wasn't enough as Buffalo beat Anaheim 3-2 in overtime. Afinogenov scored the OT winner 2:11 into overtime to get the win, while Vanek scored on a penalty shot earlier in the game for the Sabres. Lupol had two points for the Ducks.
Moreau scored twice as the Edmonton Oilers slid by the Flyers 3-2. Morrison got the win in net for the Oilers, as he faced a Philly team with a depleted defense. The Flyers have lost both Pitkanen (4-6 weeks) and Desjardins (8-10 weeks). Kapanen scored the Flyers second goal, it was his first since returning from knee surgery.
Columbus got a rare win last night, beating the Islanders 4-3 in a shootout. Federov scored his first goal as a Blue Jacket (Finally!) and Adam Foote scored in his first game as the Blue Jackets captain. Leclaire gets the win in net for Columbus.
Manny Fernandez adds a shutout to his stats sheet as the Minnesota Wild blanked the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-0 last night. Daigle had two goals, while Gaborik, Walz and Rolston also had goals for the Wild. Rolston, Gaborik, Daigle and Zyuzin all had two point nights. Thibault was in net for all five Minnesota goals.
Mike Sillinger and Keith Tkachuk scored twice each, but it wasn't enough as Tampa Bay beat St. Louis 5-4. Fedotenko scored twice for Tampa, while St.Louis, Taylor, and Modin also had goals for Tampa Bay. Sillinger and Tkachuk each had three point nights.
Prucha looks like the new Jagr, as the kid is on fire! Prucha and Rucchin scored twice, while Jagr had a goal and two assists as the Rangers beat up the Nashville Predators 5-1. Lundqvist got the win for the Rangers, while Vokoun takes the loss for the Preds. Mason replaced him in the second after Vokoun gave up two goals on eight shots.
Gerber stopped 35 of 37 shots, as Carolina beat the LA Kings 3-2. Erik Cole scored twice for Carolina, while Justin Williams added the other Carolina goal. Cowan and Belanger scored for the Kings.
Petr Sykora was held out of last night's game, possibly signaling a trade is about to happen in Anaheim. The Rangers, Devils, Bruins and Habs are all teams apparently interested in the veteran winger.
With Havlat gone for the rest of the season, and maybe the playoffs, rumour has Ottawa shopping for some scoring. I don't see it, as Bochenski seems to be fitting in just fine in Ottawa.
The Leafs may be looking to move Aki Berg and Mariusz Czercawksi. I heard a rumour of the latter going back to NYI, maybe even in a deal for a defenseman. Both players would be hard sells, and I don't expect to see either traded soon.
Thats all for now, still looking for writers, so if you want a chance to write for a hockey website, email me at cjohnson202@hockeyleaks.com. Have a good day everyone
