Hockey Today - Nov. 28
Associated Press
SCOREBOARD
Wednesday, Nov. 28
Philadelphia at Carolina (7 p.m. EST).
The Atlantic Division-leading Flyers visit the Southeast Division-leading Hurricanes.
STARS
Tuesday
-Alex Kovalev, Canadiens, scored two power-play goals and again in the shootout as Montreal edged Toronto 4-3.
-Pavel Datsyuk, Red Wings, had two goals and an assist to lift Detroit to a 5-3 win over Calgary.
-Ryan Kesler, Canucks, scored two power-play goals as Vancouver blanked Anaheim 4-0.
SHUTOUTS
Roberto Luongo stopped 26 shots for his second consecutive shutout and 35th career as Vancouver blanked Anaheim 4-0 Tuesday night. Luongo has three shutouts this season as the Canucks improved to 8-1-2 in their past 11 games.
NOT ENOUGH
Mats Sundin scored his club-record 400th goal for Toronto with 17.6 seconds left in the third period and scored in the shootout, but Montreal defeated the Maple Leafs 4-3 Tuesday night.
STREAKING
Vancouver forward Markus Naslund, who also had an assist, scored his seventh goal in seven games Tuesday night, a 4-0 victory over Anaheim.
MAN ADVANTAGE
Tomas Holmstrom scored his NHL-leading ninth power-play goal in Detroit's 5-3 victory over Calgary on Tuesday night.
COMING BACK
Todd Bertuzzi's return to Vancouver as a member of the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday night was spoiled by the Canucks' 4-0 victory. Bertuzzi, who spent eight seasons in Vancouver, made his first visit since being traded to Florida two summers ago as part of a five-player package that brought goalie Roberto Luongo.
SUSPENDED
Philadelphia forward Scott Hartnell was suspended two games by the NHL on Tuesday, the fourth Flyers player disciplined by the league this season for illegal hits. Hartnell checked Boston defenseman Andrew Alberts in the head Monday night and was given a major penalty for boarding. Andrews left the game with an unspecified head injury.
SPEAKING
''It is crazy but, hey, I'd rather have people worrying about what's going on with our team than not. When things are not going right, there's going to be things written about you or said about you that you're not going to like, but that's part of being a professional athlete, especially in a market like this.'' - Center Mats Sundin after Toronto's fourth straight loss Tuesday night, 4-3 to Montreal in a shootout.
Wednesday's NHL betting matchup notes
ASSOCIATED PRESS
St. Louis at Buffalo
The Sabres have gone 0-5-0 with two ties against the Blues after defeating them 5-2 on Oct. 22, 1995.
Dallas at New Jersey
Martin Brodeur is 8-8-0 with a 2.07 goals-against average against the Stars.
Ottawa at N.Y. Islanders
Ottawa looks to end its skid and beat New York for the ninth straight time Wednesday when the teams meet for the first time this season.
Florida at Washington
Florida is 9-2-0 with one tie in Washington since the start of the 2003-04 season.
Philadelphia at Carolina
Carolina (13-8-3) has dropped both matchups against the Flyers this season.
Phoenix at Minnesota
Phoenix hasn't won at the Xcel Energy Center since a 4-2 victory on Nov. 8, 2005.
Tampa Bay at Chicago
Tampa Bay has not visited Chicago since snapping an eight-game winless streak in the series with a 5-3 win on March 3, 2004.
Edmonton at Colorado
The Oilers have dropped all three meetings this season and seven of the last nine overall to Colorado, including Thursday's 3-2 defeat in Edmonton.
Los Angeles at San Jose
The Sharks are 1-2-0 overall against the Kings this season.
Flyers RW Hartnell suspended for 2 games for hit.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
TORONTO -- Philadelphia forward Scott Hartnell was suspended for two games by the NHL on Tuesday, the fourth Flyers player disciplined by the league this season for illegal hits.
Hartnell checked Boston Bruins defenseman Andrew Alberts in the head Monday night and was given a major penalty for boarding. He was ejected in the second period of the Flyers' 6-3 loss, and Andrews left the game with an unspecified head injury.
NHL disciplinarian Colin Campbell said even though it appeared Hartnell was attempting to let up on the check, Alberts was in a ''vulnerable position.''
''However, at the point of contact, he did deliver a blow to the head of Mr. Alberts that resulted in an injury,'' Campbell said in a statement announcing the suspension.
Hartnell tried to explain his actions after the game.
''I did not try to hurt him,'' Hartnell said. ''There was no intent at all. I am not that type of player. If you look at all the games this year and past years, I finish my checks every time I have an opportunity.''
Hartnell is the latest Flyers player to be suspended by the NHL.
In the preseason, Steve Downie was hit with a 20-game ban after a high hit to the head of Ottawa's Dean McAmmond.
Jesse Boulerice was dealt the longest single-season punishment in league history when he earned a 25-game suspension for hitting Vancouver's Ryan Kesler across the face with his stick.
Randy Jones was given a two-game suspension after he sent Boston's Patrice Bergeron face-first into the boards on Oct. 27. Bergeron hasn't returned to action since he broke his nose and sustained a concussion as a result of the hit.
Monday marked the first game between the Flyers and Bruins since then.
Philly is back in action on Wednesday against the Hurricanes.
Blue Jackets place D Duvie Westcott on injured list
ASSOCIATED PRESS
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Blue Jackets defenseman Duvie Westcott was placed on the injured list Tuesday after sustaining his second concussion of the season.
Westcott, 30, was injured Sunday during Columbus' 5-4 loss to the Detroit Red Wings, Blue Jackets general manager Scott Howson said in a statement. Westcott scored his first goal of the season in the game.
He also sustained a concussion at Chicago on Oct. 23 and missed several games while on a conditioning assignment with Syracuse of the AHL before being recalled by the Blue Jackets on Nov. 11. He missed the final 40 games of last season because of another concussion sustained against San Jose on Jan. 6.
Westcott has played in 11 games with Columbus this season, and has posted three points.
Wednesday NHL Gameday
Mike Modano and the Dallas Stars will be looking to keep their winning streak alive on Wednesday when they take on the New Jersey Devils. Here is your NHL Gameday
Dallas Stars at New Jersey Devils, 7:00pm ET
Dallas has won six games in a row and seven of their past 10 contests to move into first place in the Pacific Division. The Stars got past the Islanders 3-2 in overtime on the road on Monday night, with two goals from Mike Modano and one from Jeff Halpern. Marty Turco made 23 saves. Jere Lehtinen is out indefinitely with an abdominal injury.
The Devils are on a winning streak of their own, having picked up the victory in each of their past four contests (versus the Flyers, Penguins, Thrashers, and Lightning). Brian Gionta scored twice and David Clarkson tallied as well in New Jersey's 3-2 road win over Tampa Bay last time out. Martin Brodeur stopped 34 of 36 shots against the Bolts.
Philadelphia Flyers at Carolina Hurricanes, 7:00pm ET
The Flyers have been up-and-down over the past week, losing to both the Bruins and Capitals but pulling out wins over the Senators and Hurricanes. Martin Biron made 32 saves for the win against Carolina last week, but he was yanked against Boston on Monday night. Mike Richards scored his 14th goal of the season in Monday's 6-3 loss.
The Hurricanes still have a comfortable lead in the Southeast Division, but they've also managed to lose four of their past six games. Cam Ward gave up five goals on 15 shots versus the Flyers last week, and Carolina is coming off a 5-2 loss versus the Capitals. Erik Cole and Ray Whitney were the goal scorers in that big defeat against Washington.
Tampa Bay Lightning at Chicago Blackhawks, 8:30pm ET
Tampa Bay's loss to New Jersey was their fourth in a row, and that skid comes on the heels of a five-game winning streak earlier in the month. The Lightning are now below the .500 mark on the season and seven points behind Carolina in the division. Vincent Lecavalier picked up his 16th goal of the season in Saturday night's loss to New Jersey.
The Blackhawks won four of their first five games in the month of November, but since then they've managed to lose four of six contests. That's pushed Chicago back to the pack with the Blues and Blue Jackets in the Central Division. Patrick Lalime stopped 27 of 28 shots in Chicago's last outing, a 3-0 road defeat vs. the Canucks on Sunday night.
Los Angeles Kings at San Jose Sharks, 10:30pm ET
The Kings put an end to their five-game skid with a win over San Jose last Saturday, but they then promptly lost to the Ducks on Sunday. Los Angeles has won just three of their past 10 games, and they sit in the Pacific cellar. Dustin Brown and Anze Kopitar scored for the Kings in their 2-1 win over the Sharks, with Jason LaBarbera making 26 saves.
Milan Michalek had the lone tally for San Jose on Saturday night, and Evgeni Nabokov stopped just 15 of 17 Los Angeles shots. The Sharks have now lost two straight games (to the Ducks and Kings) since concluding their four-game winning streak in the middle of the month. San Jose sits in third place in the Pacific Division with a record of 11-8-3.
Red Wings forward Draper sidelined with sprained knee
November 28th, 2007
Detroit, MI (Sports Network) - Detroit Red Wings forward Kris Draper will be out 10 to 14 days with a sprained left knee, the team revealed on Wednesday.
Draper suffered the injury late in the first period of the Wings' game against Calgary on Tuesday, when he was tangled up along the boards with Flames forward Owen Nolan.
Incredibly, Draper was able to leave the game at Joe Louis Arena under his own power, and drive himself to Detroit Medical Center for an MRI, which revealed the sprain.
The 36-year-old veteran scored a goal prior to the incident, his first in 17 games. Detroit won the game, 5-3. For the season, Draper has six goals and 11 points in 24 contests.
Blue Jackets place Novotny on IR
November 28th, 2007
Columbus, OH (Sports Network) - The Columbus Blue Jackets placed forward Jiri Novotny on injured reserve Wednesday.
The move is retroactive to November 23, when he suffered a concussion in a game against the Minnesota Wild.
Novotny, the 24-year-old Czech native, had four goals and 10 points in 22 games prior to the setback.
In a related move, the club recalled defenseman Marc Methot and also added goaltender Tomas Popperle on an emergency basis from Syracuse of the American Hockey League.
Rangers' Avery to have surgery
November 28th, 2007
New York, NY (Sports Network) - The New York Rangers announced on Wednesday that forward Sean Avery will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his left wrist.
The procedure is scheduled for Thursday at the Hospital for Joint Disease in New York City, and will be performed by Drs. Martin Posner and Andrew Feldman.
Avery apparently hurt the wrist in a fight on November 10 against Darcy Tucker of the Toronto Maple Leafs, then was struck by a puck shot by teammate Brendan Shanahan last week.
This is the second major setback for the feisty winger, who was out of action from October 6 to November 3 with a Grade 2 separation of his left shoulder suffered in New York's second game of the season.
Avery has two goals and nine points in 14 games.