Tuesday, March 20, 2007
The goalies below have been confirmed by a source:
Dominik Hasek, Detroit Red Wings - Hasek is the probable starter for Tuesday's game against the Flames, reports the Detroit News. Chris Osgood will start Thursday against the Blue Jackets.
Martin Gerber, Ottawa Senators - Gerber is the probable starter for Tuesday's game against the Blues, reports the official Senators website. He has quietly turned his season around by posting an 8-0-2 record over his past 10 decisions but still can't dethrone Ray Emery, who has been one of the league's best goalies.
Jaroslav Halak, Montreal Canadiens - Halak is the probable starter for Tuesday's game against the Bruins, reports the Montreal Gazette.
Ed Belfour, Florida Panthers - Belfour is the probable starter for Tuesday's game against the Flyers, reports the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Tim Thomas, Boston Bruins - Thomas is the probable starter for Tuesday's game against the Canadiens, reports the Boston Globe.
The goalies below have not been confirmed by any sources:
Martin Biron, Philadelphia Flyers - Biron is the probable starter for Tuesday's game against the Panthers.
Nikolai Khabibulin, Chicago Blackhawks - Khabibulin is the probable starter for Tuesday's game against the Blue Jackets.
Fredrik Norrena, Columbus Blue Jackets - Norrena is the probable starter for Tuesday's game against the Blackhawks.
Martin Brodeur, New Jersey Devils - Brodeur is the probable starter for Tuesday's game against the Maple Leafs.
Andrew Raycroft, Toronto Maple Leafs - Raycroft is the probable starter for Tuesday's game against the Devils.
Rick DiPietro, New York Islanders - DiPietro is the probable starter for Tuesday's game against the Lightning. He practiced yesterday for the first time since getting injured last week but his status for tonight's game will be determined after the morning skate. If DiPietro can't go, coach Ted Nolan suggested that third stringer Wade Dubielewicz would get the nod over backup Mike Dunham.
Marc Denis, Tampa Bay Lightning - Denis is the probable starter for Tuesday's game against the Islanders. If the Lightning happen to miss the playoffs, there will be a lot of fingers pointed at the goaltending tandem of Denis and Johan Holmqvist. To make matters more confusing, the team has recalled Kari Ramo from their AHL affiliate team and while we're not sure if he will immediately be thrust into the starter's role, Ramo certainly is in the mix for starts now. Stay away from all these goalies but we think the Lightning will give Denis and/or Holmqvist one more chance before turning to Ramo.
Curtis Sanford, St. Louis Blues - Sanford is the probable starter for Tuesday's game against the Senators.
Curtis Joseph, Phoenix Coyotes - Joseph is the probable starter for Tuesday's game against the Wild.
Niklas Backstrom, Minnesota Wild - Backstrom is the probable starter for Tuesday's game against the Coyotes.
Miikka Kiprusoff, Calgary Flames - Kiprusoff is the probable starter for Tuesday's game against the Red Wings.
General goalie news:
Manny Fernandez, Minnesota Wild - Fernandez won't skate for a few days to rest his injured left knee, reports the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. An MRI performed on Fernandez's knee Monday showed some reason for the continued discomfort he is feeling, and the Wild has decided to take a step back in his rehab. Fernandez last played on March 6, a relief appearance in which he faced two shots. Before that, he hadn't appeared since January 30. Partly because of the injury but mainly due to Niklas Backstrom's play, coach Jacques Lemaire already announced that Backstrom will be the team's #1 goalie for the forseeable future.
Manny Legace, St. Louis Blues - Legace's recovery from minor knee surgery is not going as smoothly as anticipated, reports the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. After feeling good last week, Legace seemed to imply that he's suffered a setback as the knee swelled up and will prevent him from skating for the next few days. While the Blues originally projected that Legace would be sidelined for only 2-3 weeks, team doctors privately conceded that it would be more along the 4-6 week timeline. Taking all that into account as well as the fact that the Blues aren't going anywhere fast, it's very possible that the team will soon shut Legace down for the rest of the season.
Year-to-date: 2066 / 2172 = 95.1%
Hockey Today - March 20
Tue, Mar 20, 2007
By Associated Press
SCOREBOARD
Tuesday, March 20
Detroit at Calgary (9 p.m. EDT).
The Calgary Flames have lost three straight and five of six and have only a four-point lead over surging Colorado for the final Western Conference playoff spot.
STARS
Monday
-Jaromir Jagr, Rangers, smacked a shot in off the stick of Pittsburgh defenseman Rob Scuderi with 33.8 seconds left, giving New York the 2-1 victory.
-Daniel Sedin and Roberto Luongo, Canucks. Sedin had a goal and an assist and Luongo stopped 36 shots and Vancouver held off Edmonton 2-1.
FIRST FUTILITY MARK
Despite scoring first, Edmonton tied the 1993-94 team's record for consecutive losses with its 11th in Monday night's 2-1 setback to Vancouver. The Oilers, who earned a point in an overtime loss to St. Louis on Saturday, are just three losses short of their franchise-record 14-game winless streak - also set during the 1993-94 season.
TOOTOO TATOOED
The NHL suspended Nashville winger Jordin Tootoo five games for punching Dallas defenseman Stephane Robidas in the face. Robidas was knocked unconscious on the play late in the third period Saturday night and is out at least a week with a concussion.
RISING RANGERS
The New York Rangers improved to 7-1-3 in their last 10 games and jumped to seventh in the Eastern Conference standings after a 2-1 win over Pittsburgh on Monday night. The Rangers trail sixth-place Tampa Bay by one point with nine games left.
SNAPPED
Pittsburgh had its five-game winning streak end with Monday night' 2-1 loss to the New York Rangers. The Penguins remain two points behind first-place New Jersey in the Atlantic Division standings.
LETTING HIM SKATE
New York Islander Chris Simon, suspended a league-record 25 games for a vicious on-ice hit, will not face criminal charges. Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice said her office considered ''the willingness of the potential victim to support a criminal prosecution'' and other factors in reaching its decision. The NHL suspended Simon for his two-handed stick attack to the face of the New York Rangers' Ryan Hollweg during a March 8 game at the Nassau Coliseum.
RESIGNED
Mike Gartner handed his resignation from the NHL Players' Association on Monday night. The Hockey Hall of Famer began a conference call with the players' executive board with his announcement that he was leaving as the NHLPA's director of hockey affairs, ending eight years of work at the union. Gartner's resignation comes just over a week after executive director Ted Saskin and senior director Ken Kim were sent home on paid leave due to allegations they read NHLPA players' e-mails.
TRANSFERRED
Chicago will move its AHL affiliate from Norfolk, Vir. to Rockford, Ill., starting next season.
SPEAKING
''I am not 24 chasing any records anymore. My goal is to make the playoffs. Right now it doesn't matter as long as we win.'' - New York captain Jaromir Jagr after scoring with 33.8 seconds left to give the Rangers a 2-1 win over Pittsburgh on Monday night. The 35-year-old Jagr snapped his second eight-game goalless drought of the season.