Curtis Glencross had a third-period hat trick and Miikka Kiprusoff made 17 saves as the Calgary Flames doubled up the Nashville Predators 6-3. Matt Stajan picked up three assists and the Flames have posted consecutive home wins.
SPIN: Pekka Rinne is having big problems. Rinne was yanked in this one after allowing two goals on two shots in the first eight minutes of the game. He’s been pulled in four of his last eight outings and Chris Mason has been coming on in relief. With Rinne struggling the way he has been, look for Mason to snag a couple starts to try stabilize things in goal. Mason would also be a sneaky pick up off the waiver wire. Glencross has points in four of five games this month and would make a solid addition to take advantage of this hot streak. The same can also be said about Matt Stajan. Rinne should be left on the bench until he can actually play the full game consistently.
Philly defeated New Jersey 2-1 in the shootout. David Clarkson scored for the first time in 14 games for the Devils while Claude Giroux lit the lamp for Philly.
SPIN: The Flyers needed the win to have any real chance of making the playoffs as they sit at 13-15-1. In a scheduling quirk, the Flyers go to Tampa on Monday and then have several days off before visiting Pittsburgh next Sunday. After that it’s a critical five-game homestand. The Devils have been without Martin Brodeur for almost a month now. Johan Hedberg hasn’t shown he can get the job done in goal and should be on waivers except in large or deep leagues. It’s hard to tell if Clarkson’s goal was the rule or the exception. I lean towards exception on this one as it seems like the Devils are down on the whole with Brodeur out.
Detroit slipped past Edmonton 3-2 in overtime on Pavel Datsyuk’s goal 3:39 into the extra session. Taylor Hall and Sam Gagner scored to help the Oilers hold a 2-0 lead after 40 minutes. Detroit roared back with Valtteri Filppula and Niklas Kronwall scoring in the third to force overtime.
SPIN: Jimmy Howard made 30 saves in his first start since getting over the flu. Edmonton rookie Nail Yakupov has made owners want to hit themselves in the head with a hammer. He’s got one goal in his last 19 games after opening the season with five goals in the first eight games and should be on waivers. Datsyuk broke a slump of his own with his first goal in 11 games. This was the Oilers first home game in nearly three weeks. They went 3-4-2 on a nine-game road trip while Rexall Place hosted a curling bonspiel.
Multiple Goal Scorers
Glencross-CGY HAT TRICK
Stat of the Night
Rinne got pulled after allowing two goals on two shots, the earliest exit of his career.
Three Stars of the Night
1 Glencross
2 Stajan
3 Howard
Saturday’s Games (all times ET)
Washington at Boston 1pm
NY Rangers at Pittsburgh 1pm
Minnesota at Colorado 3pm
Ottawa at Buffalo 3pm
Phoenix at Columbus 7pm
Winnipeg at Toronto 7pm
Montreal at New Jersey 7pm
Carolina at Tampa Bay 7pm
NY Islanders at Florida 730pm
Anaheim at St. Louis 8pm
Chicago at Dallas 8pm
Detroit at Vancouver 10pm
San Jose at Los Angeles 1030pm
