Jimmy Howard made 33 saves and and the Detroit Red Wings rode two goals in a four-minute span of the first period to a 2-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks. Daniel Cleary and Drew Miller scored for Detroit while Ryan Getzlaf had the lone Anaheim goal in the final minute of the second period.
SPIN: Well, the Red Wings look real good after bouncing Anaheim for a second straight game in the Honda Center. Jonas Hiller took the loss both nights for the Ducks. The Anaheim offense is going through a bit of a drain lately as they’ve scored two goals in the last two games. It’s nothing to worry about since they have a lot of offensive firepower.
What’s more concerning is the lack of composure they had in the final minute of the third period. Getzlaf was called for tripping with 34 seconds left in the game and then picked up a two minutes for unsportsmanlike conduct and a 10-minute misconduct. Corey Perry was also given a 10-minute misconduct while Teemu Selanne got a 10-minute misconduct of his own and a game misconduct. It’s fairly safe to say Brendan Shanahan is looking these over while having a cup of coffee and I won’t be surprised if suspensions of some nature come out of this.
The Islanders blanked the Panthers 3-0 as Evgeni Nabokov made 26 saves to blank Florida.
SPIN: Andrew MacDonald’s power-play goal in the first period was all the Islanders needed. They added a pair of empty-net goals in the final minute, one by John Tarvares, to get to the final score. Jacob Markstrom stopped 34 of 35 shots he saw but got no help and thus it dampens his fantasy value. Markstrom might be able to steal a win here or there but isn’t getting much support.
Washington downed the NY Rangers 3-2 in a shootout. Alex Ovechkin scored for Washington while Nicklas Backstrom had the other goal and an assist. Derek Stepan and Aaron Asham scored for the Rangers. All the goals came in the first period.
SPIN: Ovechkin has 16 goals this season, six behind league leader Steven Stamkos. That’s rather impressive given how poorly he started the season. Braden Holtby (32 saves) and Henrik Lundqvist (22 saves) were locked in a goalie duel for the final 40 minutes which either shows how good Holtby is or how mediocre Lundqvist has been at times this season.
Tyler Kennedy scored 2:29 into overtime and lifted the Penguins to a 12th consecutive win. Sidney Crosby and Claude Giroux each scored power-play goals in regulation.
SPIN: It’s unusual to see a Flyers-Penguins game with less than a bazillion goals scored, but it happened. Ilya Bryzgalov made 33 saves to keep the Flyers in the game but is still a mediocre option at best between the pipes.
Tobias Enstrom scored in his first game back for Winnipeg and the Jets posted a 3-2 win over reeling Tampa Bay.
SPIN: Enstrom made his return after missing 15 games with a shoulder injury and should be added in all leagues where he was left out on waivers when he got hurt. Enstrom should also give the Jets’ power play a nice boost too. Fellow defenseman Dustin Byfuglien scored for the Jets while Stamkos picked up his league-leading 22nd goal for Tampa.
Vancouver knocked off Colorado 3-2 to hold the Northwest Division lead for now.
SPIN: PA Parenteau had a goal and an assist for the Avalanche as their bland season marches towards an end. Mason Raymond and Alexander Burrows scored in the second period for Vancouver to give the Canucks a two-goal lead heading into the third.
Calgary squeaked past St. Louis 3-2 as Roman Cervenka scored twice and Miikka Kiprusoff turned aside 36 shots in the win.
SPIN: Kiprusoff is back to looking like the Kipper of old after becoming a father again earlier this month. Defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk has gone seven games without a point for the Blues. TJ Oshie had a goal and an assist for the Blues and has scored in his first two games after missing his last three with a rib injury. He’s worth a look if you need a little extra depth this time of year.
Multiple Goal Scorers
Cervenka-CGY
Stat of the Night-Finnishing on Top
Selanne played in his 1,372nd regular-season game, tying him with Teppo Numminen for the most among Finnish-born players in the NHL. Numminnen played mainly with the Winnipeg Jets/Phoenix Coyotes franchise.
Three Stars of the Night
1 Howard
2 Backstrom
3 Enstrom
Monday’s Games (all times ET)
Toronto at Boston 7pm
New Jersey at Ottawa 7pm
Los Angeles at Chicago 8pm
Edmonton at Nashville 8pm
Minnesota at Dallas 830pm
San Jose at Anaheim 10pm
Detroit at Phoenix 10pm
