Wednesday, March 14, 2007
The goalies below have been confirmed by a source:
Dominik Hasek, Detroit Red Wings - Hasek is the probable starter for Wednesday's game against the Predators, reports the Detroit Free Press.
Jocelyn Thibault, Pittsburgh Penguins - Thibault is the probable starter for Wednesday's game against the Devils, reports the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
The goalies below have not been confirmed by any sources:
Martin Brodeur, New Jersey Devils - Brodeur is the probable starter for Wednesday's game against the Penguins.
Tomas Vokoun, Nashville Predators - Vokoun is the probable starter for Wednesday's game against the Red Wings.
Miikka Kiprusoff, Calgary Flames - Kiprusoff is the probable starter for Wednesday's game against the Avalanche.
Peter Budaj, Colorado Avalanche - Budaj is the probable starter for Wednesday's game against the Flames.
Fredrik Norrena, Columbus Blue Jackets - Norrena is the probable starter for Wednesday's game against the Ducks.
Jean-Sebastien Giguere, Anaheim Ducks - Giguere is the probable starter for Wednesday's game against the Blue Jackets.
Year-to-date: 1990 / 2094 = 95.0%
Wednesday's NHL betting news & notes
Wed, Mar 14, 2007
By Associated Press
Pittsburgh at New Jersey (7:30 p.m. EDT). The Devils beat the Penguins in a shootout on March 8, giving Martin Brodeur 40 wins for the sixth time in his career.
STARS - Tuesday
-Bill Guerin, Sharks, scored his first three goals for San Jose and reached the 30-goal plateau, converting a penalty shot in a 7-1 rout of Chicago.
-Sidney Crosby, Penguins, had a goal and two assists before scoring the deciding goal in the shootout as Pittsburgh edged Buffalo 5-4.
-Brent Burns, Wild, scored in overtime for the second straight game, giving Minnesota a 3-2 victory over Vancouver.
-Kyle Calder, Predators, scored and had two assists as Detroit defeated NHL-leading Nashville 5-2.
MILESTONE
Dallas' Mike Modano became the 39th player in NHL history and second born in the United States to reach 500 goals Tuesday night, scoring with 10:24 left in the third period of a 3-2 victory over Philadelphia.
MISSED OPPORTUNITY
The Rangers, who led 2-0 in each of their last five losses, sustained their 21st one-goal loss, 3-2 to Ottawa on Tuesday night. The Senators improved to 10-1-4 in their last 15 games, while New York dropped from 8th to 11th in the Eastern Conference.
SWEEP
The Maple Leafs swept the four-game season series against Tampa Bay with a 3-2 victory Tuesday night. The Lightning have just two wins in their last 16 visits to Toronto.
PROTECTING LEADS
Carolina improved to 21-0-2 when leading after the first period following Tuesday night's 3-2 victory over Florida. ... The Islanders fell to 25-1-4 when ahead after two periods after losing to Montreal 5-3.
STREAKING
Ottawa's Dany Heatley extended his points streak to 15 games (11 goals, 11 assists) with two assists in a 3-2 victory over the Rangers on Tuesday night. Teammate Jason Spezza recorded a point in his 14th straight game (eight goals, 16 assists). ... Minnesota, which beat Vancouver 3-2, has won four straight for the first time since opening the season with a six-game streak.
STEPPING UP
Rookie Andrei Kostitsyn, who had three total assists coming in, matched that in the third period of Montreal's 5-3 victory over the Islanders on Tuesday night.
SIDELINED
Islanders goalie Rick DiPietro left Tuesday's game with an apparent head injury after a first-period collision with Montreal's Steve Begin. The Canadiens won 5-3, scoring all five goals against backup Mike Dunham.
STAYING PUT
The Penguins and government officials ended months of difficult negotiations, agreeing to a $290 million arena deal that ensures the team will stay in Pittsburgh. Keys to the agreement included the government waiving up-front money from the team, the Penguins receiving about $10 million compensation for delays, and the sides agreeing to share responsibility for cost overruns.
SPEAKING
''I stopped counting goals a little while ago. When you're 36, you look at the wins. You want to be one of those top eight teams to get a chance to compete for the championship.'' - Mats Sundin, who scored his 388th goal as a Maple Leaf in a 3-2 victory over Tampa Bay on Tuesday night, leaving him one short of tying Darryl Sittler for the franchise record.
Islanders G DiPietro injured in collision with Canadiens' Begin
Tue, Mar 13, 2007
By Associated Press
MONTREAL -- New York Islanders goalie Rick DiPietro left Tuesday's game with an apparent head injury after a first-period collision with Montreal's Steve Begin.
DiPietro and Begin both fell to the ice after the Islanders goalie was hit on the right side of his mask by the Canadiens forward's right skate when he lunged forward to win a race to the puck just inside New York's blue line.
Begin grimaced in pain and had to be helped off the ice while DiPietro lay still on his back as he was being attended to by Islanders trainer Garrett Timms.
The goalie removed his mask and looked groggy as he was helped off the ice, passing backup Mike Dunham - who replaced him 15:41 into the opening period - in the hallway leading to the dressing room.
DiPietro, who entered with a 2.60 goals-against-average, a .918 save percentage and a 30-19-7 record, was making his 58th appearance of the season.
The Islanders led 1-0 on captain Alexei Yashin's first goal since he returned to New York's lineup Thursday after missing 14 games because of a knee injury.