SCOREBOARD
Wednesday, Feb. 7
Chicago at Edmonton (9 p.m. EST). The Oilers have won six of the last seven meetings at Rexall Place against the Blackhawks, who are 0-2 to start a seven-game road trip.
STARS
Monday
-Radim Vrbata, Coyotes, scored late in the third period then added the winner with 1:37 left in overtime to give Phoenix a 4-3, come-from-behind win at Colorado.
-Zach Parise, Devils, scored 37 seconds into overtime to lift New Jersey to a 4-3 win over Pittsburgh.
RETURNING SOON?
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman attended Monday night’s Phoenix-Colorado game and said beforehand that Rick Tocchet, on two years’ probation after he pleaded guilty to promoting gambling and conspiracy to promote gambling, is on track to resume his position as an assistant coach with the Coyotes on Thursday. Since the betting ring in which Tocchet partnered with a New Jersey state trooper and another man became public in February 2006, the former star forward has been on an indefinite leave of absence granted by Bettman.
A CROWD
New Jersey created a three-way tie atop the Atlantic Division with its 4-3 overtime win over Pittsburgh on Monday night. The Devils, Penguins and Philadelphia all have 63 points in the five-team Atlantic.
ROUGH DEBUT
Curtis Joseph made his first start in goal for Calgary after signing with the team last month and allowed five goals on 28 shots in a 5-0 loss at Edmonton on Monday night. With his next victory, Joseph will move into a tie with Terry Sawchuk for fourth spot on the NHL’s all-time list with 447. Only Patrick Roy, Martin Brodeur and Ed Belfour have more career regular-season wins.
SNAPPED
New Jersey’s 4-3 overtime win against Pittsburgh on Monday night marked the first time the home team won in the series since Dec. 26, 2006, when the Devils beat the Penguins 3-0 at Continental Airlines Arena. The nine straight road-team wins since then tied an NHL record set by St. Louis and Edmonton between December 1995 and December 1997.
WELCOME BACK
New Jersey forward Jay Pandolfo returned to the lineup Monday night after missing 28 games because of an abdominal injury. The winger hadn’t played since Nov. 28 against Dallas, when he fell hard into the boards late in the third period. He sat out two days later, ending his consecutive games streak at 307 – the third-longest stretch in team history.
OILER OUT
Edmonton center Shawn Horcoff will miss the rest of the season with a torn labrum. The 29-year-old forward, who leads the team with 50 points in 53 games this season, hurt his left shoulder when he fell during the NHL All-Star game in Atlanta on Jan. 27.
SPEAKING
“It was as if the Avalanche stopped playing and all I had to do was tap in the puck.” – Radim Vrbata, whose overtime goal gave Phoenix a 4-3 victory over Colorado.