Friday, March 23, 2007
Marty Turco, Dallas Stars - Turco is the probable starter for Friday's game against the Ducks, reports the Dallas Morning News. We're not sure what coach Dave Tippett is thinking as he started backup Mike Smith earlier in the week when the Stars weren't playing on consecutive nights. Furthermore, Turco has a poor 1-3 record and a 4.27 goals-against-average against the Ducks whereas Smith has excelled, going 2-0 with a 0.43 goals-against-average. Taking all this into account, it's not out of the realm of possibility that Smith could make another start.
The goalies below have not been confirmed by any sources:
Andrew Raycroft, Toronto Maple Leafs - Raycroft is the probable starter for Friday's game against the Sabres.
Ryan Miller, Buffalo Sabres - Miller is the probable starter for Friday's game against the Maple Leafs.
Mathieu Garon, Los Angeles Kings - Garon is the probable starter for Friday's game against the Blackhawks.
Nikolai Khabibulin, Chicago Blackhawks - Khabibulin is the probable starter for Friday's game against the Kings.
Peter Budaj, Colorado Avalanche - Budaj is the probable starter for Friday's game against the Oilers.
Jussi Markkanen, Edmonton Oilers - Markkanen is the probable starter for Friday's game against the Avalanche.
Jean-Sebastien Giguere, Anaheim Ducks - Giguere is the probable starter for Friday's game against the Ducks.
Year-to-date: 2110 / 2220 = 95.0%
Hockey Today - March 23
Fri, Mar 23, 2007
By Associated Press
SCOREBOARD
Friday, March 23
Colorado at Edmonton (9 p.m. EDT). The Oilers have dropped 12 straight games, including a 5-1 loss to the Avalanche on Wednesday night.
STARS
Thursday
-Jonathan Cheechoo, Sharks, scored three goals in San Jose's 5-1 victory at Atlanta.
-Martin St. Louis, Lightning, scored twice in the third period to lead Tampa Bay past New Jersey 3-1.
-Sergei Fedorov, Blue Jackets, scored in the third extra round of the shootout to give Columbus a 2-1 win over Detroit.
-Rhett Warrener, Flames, scored 1:27 into overtime to give Calgary a 3-2, come-from-behind victory over Nashville.
-Rick DiPietro, Islanders, turned aside 35 shots, and the New York Islanders snapped a four-game losing streak by beating Pittsburgh 3-1.
STREAKS
Minnesota won its franchise-record eighth consecutive game, beating St. Louis 5-1 on Thursday night. ... Pavel Datsyuk stretched his point streak to 12 games (5-13-18) with a goal in Detroit's 2-1 shootout loss to Columbus. It was also the third consecutive game that he has scored the Red Wings' only goal.
SNAPPED
Calgary had lost eight straight against Nashville before Thursday night's 3-2 overtime victory. The Flames last beat the Predators on Jan. 22, 2004. ... Pittsburgh's 3-1 loss to the New York Islanders gave the Penguins consecutive losses in regulation for the first time since Jan. 9-10. The Penguins lost to the Rangers on Monday. ... Jozef Stumpel's second period goal in Florida's 4-2 loss to Ottawa was the Panthers' first against the Senators in four games this season. The Panthers hadn't scored against the Senators since Gary Roberts' goal on Nov. 24. The drought spanned 174 minutes, 53 seconds.
WILD BOYS
Marian Gaborik scored twice and Pavol Demitra had a goal and two assists in Minnesota's 5-1 victory over St. Louis on Thursday night. The linemates have combined for 66 points in the Wild's last 24 games.
CUJO STILL BARKING
Curtis Joseph earned his 16th win of the season, and the 444th of his NHL career, in Phoenix's 2-1 win over Anaheim on Thursday night. He is one win behind Terry Sawchuk for fourth on the NHL career list.
MILESTONE
Vincent Lecavalier earned his 500th NHL point with an assist in Tampa Bay's 3-1 win over New Jersey on Thursday night.
STRONG IN DEFEAT
Alex Ovechkin scored twice for Washington in Thursday night's 4-3 loss to Carolina.
SHOT FREE
Washington's 10 total shots in Thursday night's 4-3 loss to Carolina matched the Hurricanes' franchise record for fewest allowed, most recently on Jan. 3, 1999 against Montreal. The Capitals also managed only one shot in the first period, which also matched a season-low total allowed by Carolina.
SPEAKING
''In the business of sports, when you get booed, that means you're a good player. I've seen (Todd) Bertuzzi get booed, I've seen Yzerman get booed like crazy in Dallas, (Chris) Chelios gets booed everyplace. Good players get booed.'' - Columbus coach Ken Hitchcock on Sergei Fedorov, who scored in the third extra round of the shootout to give the Blue Jackets a 2-1 win over Detroit on Thursday night. Fedorov, a member of the Red Wings from 1990-2003, is booed by Detroit fans every time he touches the puck.