The Phoenix Coyotes are resembling Wile E. Coyote more and more with each passing day. Shane Doan and company seem to be using Acme hockey sticks as they were shutout for a third straight game. This time it was Johnathan Quick who blanked the Coyotes 4-0 and made 27 saves in the win.
SPIN: Phoenix has been dealing with an epic lack of offense. See the Stat of the Night below for more details on the first time they’ve been shutout for three straight games in franchise history. Jeff Carter was one of four goal scorers for the Kings as he picked up his 18th goal of the season. Anze Kopitar, Jake Muzzin and Tyler Toffoli all scored in the win. It was nice to see Quick pick up a shutout and firm up some faith that was looking shaky at times. The Kings take on the Coyotes again Tuesday.
Niklas Backstrom turned aside 35 of 36 shots as the Wild downed the Canucks 3-1 and took over sole possession of the lead in the Northwest Division. Henrik Sedin scored for Vancouver before the Wild came back with three unanswered goals for the win. Pierre-Marc Bouchard assisted on two of those goals.
SPIN: The Wild is surging having won eight of its last eleven while Vancouver has dropped 11 of 16. That should say it all about who you need to get in on your lineups among these two teams. Minnesota won’t bowl you over with offense all the time but Backstrom has been lugging the mail for Minnesota and looks to be a solid starter.
The NY Rangers beat Carolina 2-1 in the shootout. Eric Staal scored for Carolina while Derek Stepan lit the lamp for New York.
SPIN: Henrik Lundqvist has been picking it up as of late and made 29-of-30 saves in this game. He’s lost his last two starts but that’s due to an inconsistent offense in front of him. That’s also why his win-loss totals are barely above .500 this season. Dan Ellis got the call in goal and turned in a solid 35-save effort in the loss.
Tampa Bay doubled up Philadelphia 4-2. Claude Giroux scored for the Flyers while Steven Stamkos had a goal and an assist for Tampa.
SPIN: Stamkos scored his 21st of the season into an empty net and now has 200 career goals. Anders Lindback looked okay in this one making 28 saves on 30 shots. Both teams are under .500 so only their stars should be getting ice time for your fantasy team.
Dallas beat Calgary 4-3 behind a pair of Loui Eriksson goals.
SPIN: Dallas built a 3-0 lead and nearly gave it all back. Kari Lehtonen made his eighth straight start for Dallas but hasn’t found much success as of late between the pipes. Ray Whitney had two helpers for Dallas and matched Calgary’s Mike Cammalieri. The Flames finished 2-of-4 on the power play.
Chicago avenged its first regulation loss of the season by thumping Colorado 5-2. Patrick Kane and Johnathan Toews each had a goal and two assists to help the Hawks break the 50-point barrier at 24-2-3. Ray Emery picked up the win to move to 11-0-0 this season in net.
SPIN: Toews and Kane continue to excel as Patrick Sharp is still out a couple more weeks with an injury. Emery has been wonderful in goal for the Hawks. Colorado has dropped four straight to slide to 10-14-4 and find themselves on the outside looking in for the playoffs. Marian Hossa left the game in the first period with an upper-body injury and is day-to-day.
Anaheim beat San Jose 5-3 and Francois Beauchemin scored twice for the Ducks who won their 12th straight game at home. Viktor Fasth got back in between the pipes and turned aside 32 shots to post the win.
SPIN: San Jose has shown a little spark on the offensive end but is still sagging badly. Fasth and Jonas Hiller look like a productive timeshare and both are worth starting when their turn comes up. Patrick Marleau picked up his 15th goal of the season for San Jose and remains one of the few Sharks worth starting.
Multiple Goal Scorers
Erikkson-DAL, Beauchemin-ANA
Stat of the Night
Phoenix hasn’t scored a goal in the last 194:05 of action, the third worst drought in team history. The other two that were worse happened in late Feburary-early March 1998 (226:21) and November 2007 (202:24). (h/t Craig Morgan)
Three Stars of the Night
1. Quick
2. Emery
3. Backstrom
Tuesday’s Games (all times ET)
NY Rangers at Devils 7pm Both teams need a win, badly.
Ottawa at NY Islanders 7pm Ottawa tries to keep pace in the Northeast Division.
Florida at Carolina 7pm Start your Hurricanes against a miserable Florida team.
Nashville at Columbus 7pm These two teams have 11-12-6 records and took different routes to get there.
Buffalo at Montreal 730pm Montreal goes for its 20th win.
Washington at Pittsburgh 730pm Pens go for a perfect 10-game winning streak.
Boston at Winnipeg 8pm Bruins try to join the 20-win club.
St. Louis at Vancouver 10pm Canucks seek to get back on top of the Northwest.
Phoenix at Los Angeles 1030pm Second straight night these two go at it. Will Phoenix even score?
