Monday, March 12, 2007
The goalies below have been confirmed by a source:
Kari Lehtonen, Atlanta Thrashers - Lehtonen is the probable starter for Monday's game against the Capitals, reports the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The AJC beat writer seems to be expecting to see Johan Hedberg in net soon, but coach Bob Hartley obviously has other ideas.
The goalies below have not been confirmed by any sources:
Brent Johnson, Washington Capitals - Johnson is the probable starter for Monday's game against the Thrashers. Olaf Kolzig is hoping to return later this week so whatever fantasy value Johnson had is pretty much going to disappear.
Curtis Sanford, St. Louis Blues - Sanford is the probable starter for Monday's game against the Flames.
Miikka Kiprusoff, Calgary Flames - Kiprusoff is the probable starter for Monday's game against the Blues.
Martin Biron, Philadelphia Flyers - Biron is the probable starter for Monday's game against the Coyotes. The Flyers play back-to-back games today and tomorrow so there's a decent possibility that we may get to re-acquaint ourselves with Antero Niittymaki.
Curtis Joseph, Phoenix Coyotes - Joseph is the probable starter for Monday's game against the Flyers.
Jussi Markkanen, Edmonton Oilers - Markkanen is the probable starter for Monday's game against the Kings. Just a guess, but the Oilers did play on Sunday and came up 3-0 losers with Dwayne Roloson in net.
Mathieu Garon, Los Angeles Kings - Garon is the probable starter for Monday's game against the Oilers. You guys are better off not believing us when it comes to the Kings goalies...
General goalie news:
Cam Ward, Carolina Hurricanes - Ward will be out indefinitely after suffering a deep laceration above his left knee in Sunday's 2-1 shootout loss to the Rangers, reports the Raleigh News & Observer. Ward remained in the game until he could cover the puck and get a whistle. He then skated straight to the Carolina bench and walked to the dressing room. He said it took eight stitches to hold the muscle together and three more to close the wound. While the Hurricanes won't put a timetable on his return, we don't think he'll play again in the regular season.
Year-to-date: 1964 / 2068 = 95.0%
Hockey Today - March 12
Mon, Mar 12, 2007
By Associated Press
St. Louis at Calgary (9 p.m. EDT). The Flames are in position to take the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Oddsmakers have listed Calgary as -245 favorites and the total is set at 5 1/2 goals.
STARS Sunday
- Mike Modano, Stars, scored 35 seconds into overtime to give Dallas a 4-3 win over Los Angeles.
- Marco Sturm, Bruins, had two goals and an assist to lift Boston to a 6-3 win over Detroit.
- Teemu Selanne, Ducks, had two goals and an assist to lead Anaheim to a 4-2 victory over Vancouver.
THAT'S ALL
Chris Simon was suspended for an NHL-record 25 games by the league on Sunday as punishment for his two-handed stick attack to the face of Ryan Hollweg of the New York Rangers in a 2-1 loss Thursday night. Simon will miss the Islanders' final 15 regular-season contests and the entire postseason, if the club gets that far. If the team plays fewer than 10 playoff games this year, the suspension will carry over to next season.
ABSOLUTE ZERO
Evgeni Nabokov made 22 saves for his third shutout in four games, and San Jose beat Edmonton 3-0 Sunday night. Nabokov had a shutout streak stretching more than eight periods before Vancouver scored in the third period of a 2-1 overtime victory Friday night. It was Nabokov's seventh shutout of the season.
NICE WORK, KID
Colorado's Paul Stastny assisted on a first-period goal in the Avalanche's 3-2 overtime loss to Minnesota on Sunday, setting the NHL record for rookies with a point in 18 straight games.
STRAIGHT SHOOTER
Jaromir Jagr ripped a shot past Carolina backup John Grahame in a shootout to give the New York Rangers a 2-1 win over the Hurricanes on Sunday. Jagr has shootout goals in two of his last three tries after an 0-for-4 start this season. He was criticized last month for opting out of the tiebreaker in a home loss to New Jersey.
TOP 40
Teemu Selanne has 41 goals this season after scoring twice in Anaheim's 4-2 win over Vancouver on Sunday night. He's reached 40 goals in seven seasons, tops among active players.
SPEAKING
''The National Hockey League will not accept the use of a stick in the manner and fashion in which Mr. Simon used his. As a consequence of his actions, Mr. Simon has forfeited the privilege of playing in an NHL game again this season, regardless of how many games the Islanders ultimately play.'' - NHL disciplinarian Colin Campbell on the NHL-record, 25-game suspension Chris Simon received for his two-handed stick attack to the face of Ryan Hollweg of the New York Rangers on Thursday night.
''There is absolutely no place in hockey for what I did.'' - Simon.
Blues defenseman out for season
Sun, Mar 11, 2007
By Associated Press
ST. LOUIS -- St. Louis Blues defenseman Bryce Salvador fractured his collarbone and will be sidelined the rest of the season, the team said Sunday.
The Blues recalled defenseman Roman Polak from Peoria of the AHL under emergency conditions to replace Salvador, who was injured in the first period of a 4-3 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night.
Salvador leads the Blues with 156 blocked shots and is tied for second with 73 hits. He has two goals and five assists in 64 games, along with 55 penalty minutes.
Polak has four goals and eight assists, along with 62 penalty minutes, in 50 games at Peoria. He has played in six games with the Blues.
Peca skating for first time since injury
Sun, Mar 11, 2007
By Associated Press
TORONTO -- Mike Peca skated for the first time since breaking a leg Dec. 22 and said he'd be ready to return to the Toronto Maple Leafs no later than the first round of the NHL playoffs.
The Leafs pulled into a tie on points with Carolina for the eighth and final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference with a 4-3 overtime win over Ottawa on Saturday night.
Peca was on the ice for about 25 minutes earlier in the day.
''At the end of the skate, my feet hurt more than anything because I haven't been in skates for so long,'' he said. ''It felt a lot better than I thought it would. I was able to do a lot of things I thought would be difficult to do for the first time.''