Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

NHL Short Notes

01/28/2015 at 10:37am EST

HALAK LIFTS ISLANDERS INTO TOP SPOT IN EAST . . .
Jaroslav Halak stopped 40 shots – and was 10 seconds away from posting his fifth shutout of the season – as the Islanders improved to 3-0-0 against the Rangers and 16-2-0 versus Metropolitan Division opponents in 2014-15.

* The Islanders (32-14-1, 65 points) moved past the Lightning (30-15-4, 64 points) – who lost in regulation at Carolina – into top spot in the Eastern Conference. The Red Wings (28-11-9, 65 points) also have 65 points but the Islanders have one game in hand.

* The Islanders’ 32 wins through 47 games equal a franchise record set in 1978-79 (32-6-9). Their 17 home wins in 21 games at Nassau Coliseum also match a club record set in 1978-79 (17-0-4); twenty of their remaining 35 games are at the Coliseum.

* Halak, who played in his first career NHL All-Star Game on Sunday, improved to 26-9-0 in 35 appearances this season. He also stopped 40 shots in a 6-3 win over the Rangers on Oct. 14.

* John Tavares (3-4—7) and Ryan Strome (2-2—4) each scored to stretch point streaks to four games. Josh Bailey also extended his point streak to four contests (1-6—7).

* Johnny Boychuk (37 GP) tallied two helpers to establish a career high in assists (20) and points (24), surpassing his previous career bests set in 75 games last season.

* With the victory, the Islanders clinched a season series win against the Rangers for the first time since 2007-08 when they posted a 5-3-0 record. The clubs will face off two more times in 2014-15: Feb. 16 and March 10, both at Nassau Coliseum.

. . . WINGS TAKE ATLANTIC DIVISION LEAD WITH SIXTH CONSECUTIVE WIN . . .
Down 2-1 after the first period, the Red Wings scored four straight goals in the middle frame, including 1-2—3 from Stephen Weiss and 2-0—2 by Luke Glendening, to post their sixth consecutive victory. Per Elias, the Red Wings last won six straight games from Feb. 8 to 19, 2012.

* At 28-11-9 (65 points), the Red Wings leapfrogged the Lightning (30-15-4, 64 points) into first place in the Atlantic Division and are tied with the Islanders (32-14-1, 65 points) – in terms of points – for top spot in the Eastern Conference.

* Weiss, the Panthers' first pick (fourth overall) in the 2001 NHL Draft and that club's all-time leader in games played and assists, matched a season-high for points in a game (also 1-2—3 Dec. 4 vs. DAL). He recorded 22 such performances during his first 11 NHL seasons with the Panthers.

* Glendening notched his first NHL multi-goal game and first game-winning tally. His only other multi-point performance was Nov. 14 vs. CHI (1-1—2).

* Petr Mrazek equaled a career high with 37 saves, including 29 over the final two periods, to win his fifth consecutive decision. He improved to 10-3-1 with a 2.55 goals-against average and .913 save percentage in 15 appearances this season.

* Henrik Zetterberg (5-4—9) scored and Gustav Nyquist (3-4—7) tallied an assist to extend their point streaks to four games.

* The Red Wings have earned points in each of their past 14 visits to South Florida dating to Feb. 17, 1997 (10-0-4).

. . . PRICE, LETANG HELP HABS, PENS KEEP PACE
Montreal goaltender Carey Price (40 saves) and Pittsburgh defenseman Kris Letang (five assists) helped their clubs earn victories to keep pace in the crowded race for top spot in the Eastern Conference:


* Price, who had recorded 30 saves by the second intermission, earned his 25th win of the season (25-10-2), fourth among NHL goaltenders. He ranks fifth in goals-against average (2.15) and save percentage (.929).

* Brendan Gallagher netted his first power-play goal since Mar. 20, 2014 vs. CBJ; he ranked second on the club with eight such goals in 2013-14. It also marked his career-high fourth game-winning goal of the season.

* The Canadiens have scored on 5-of-12 power-play chances (41.7%) over their last five games after converting on 5-of-36 attempts in their previous 10 contests (13.9%).

* Alex Galchenyuk scored a highlight-reel goal to match and set career highs in goals (13) and points (32), respectively.

* Letang tallied a career-high five helpers to help the Penguins overcome a pair of one-goal deficits and earn their 14th consecutive home win against the Jets franchise (dating to March 24, 2007).

* Per Elias, Letang’s performance was one assist shy of Ron Stackhouse’s franchise record for assists by a defenseman. Stackhouse notched six on Mar. 8, 1975 in Pittsburgh’s 8-2 win over Philadelphia.

* Letang is the first NHL defenseman with five assists in a game since Dec. 13, 2007, when Dion Phaneuf notched five assists in Calgary’s 9-6 win at Tampa Bay.

* Letang, who posted 2-2—4 on Nov. 8 at BUF, is the first Penguins defenseman since PaulCoffey in 1991-92 to post multiple performances of at least four points in a season. Before this season, Letang’s only other four-point game was March 2, 2013 at MTL (0-4—4). He ranks third in scoring among NHL defensemen with 9-28—37 in 41 GP.

* Overall, the Penguins have won six straight and 21 of the past 24 meetings with the Jets/Thrashers dating to March 2, 2008.

ANDERSEN, DUCKS EXTEND STREAKS WITH SHUTOUT IN VANCOUVER . . .
Frederik Andersen denied all 17 shots he faced to record his third career shutout and help the Ducks win six consecutive games for the third time this season (7-0-0 from Oct. 11-24 and Dec. 1-13).

* The Ducks improved to 32-10-6 to become the first team to reach 70 points this season. They hold a three-point lead over the Predators (31-10-5, 67 points) for first place in the Western Conference and NHL overall standings. Nashville, however, has two games in hand and holds the ROW tiebreaker (NSH: 27, ANA: 25).

* Andersen stretched his personal winning streak to seven games, matching the longest single-season stretch of his career (also Dec. 1-13, 2014). Per Elias, he is the first goaltender in Ducks franchise history to post multiple winning streaks of at least seven games in one season.

* Andersen has registered a 2.07 goals-against average, .929 save percentage and two shutouts during his current winning streak. Overall, he ranks second in the League with 27 wins, two behind leader Pekka Rinne.

* Matt Beleskey netted his sixth game-winning goal of the season, moving into a tie for the League lead with Arizona defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Beleskey's scoring total (18-7—25 in 47 GP) already is a single-season career best.

* The Ducks have earned points in each of their last 10 visits to Rogers Arena dating to Dec. 8, 2010 (8-0-2), including six straight victories since Jan. 19, 2013. Overall, Anaheim has posted a 9-0-1 mark in their last 10 meetings with Vancouver.

. . . PREDATORS EQUAL FRANCHISE RECORD TO KEEP PACE
The Predators yielded a game-tying goal in the final minute of the third period before Craig Smith scored at 2:46 of overtime to help the Predators match a franchise record with their eighth consecutive home win (also 8-0-0 from Jan. 6 to Feb. 8, 2007).

* Nashville improved to 19-2-1 (39 points) at Bridgestone Arena to tie the Lightning for the League lead in home wins and home points. The Predators' 19 wins equal their home win total from 2013-14 (19-17-5); the franchise record of 32 home-ice victories was set in 2005-06.

* The Predators (31-10-5, 67 points) extended their lead over the idle Blues (29-13-4, 62 points) and Blackhawks (30-15-2, 62 points) to five points for top spot in the Central Division. The club remains three points behind the Ducks (32-10-6, 70 points) for first place in the NHL.

* Nashville improved to 13-3-2 against Central Division opponents this season, already surpassing their win total from 2013-14 (12-13-4).

* Smith potted his second career overtime goal (Oct. 24, 2013 vs. WPG) and eighth career game-winner to lift the Predators to their fifth win of the season in extra time.

* Mike Ribeiro (0-3—3) posted his third three-point performance of the season (also 1-2—3 vs. STL on Dec. 4 and 0-3—3 at ANA on Jan. 4). He leads the Predators and is tied for sixth in the League with 32 assists, one more than his 80-game total from 2013-14.

* Shea Weber notched 0-2—2 and now has 10-22—32 in 46 outings. Fellow NHL All-Star FilipForsberg contributed his team-leading 16th goal just 32 seconds into the third period; he leads rookies in goals (tied), assists (25), points (41) and plus/minus (+25).

ROOKIES IGNITE FLAMES
Johnny Gaudreau scored twice and Josh Jooris potted the game-winning tally as the Flames netted four unanswered goals to earn their fifth straight home win against the Sabres (dating to Jan. 21, 2006).

* Overall, the Flames (26-19-3, 55 points) have won five of their last six contests and occupy the second Wild Card spot in the Western Conference. They are tied with the Canucks (26-17-3, 55 points) – in terms of points – for third place in the Pacific Division.

* Gaudreau is tied for the team lead with 15 goals and ranks third with 37 points. Only FilipForsberg and Mike Hoffman (both 16) have more goals among NHL rookies.

* Jooris scored his 10th goal and fourth game-winner of the season; only Anders Lee has more decisive tallies among rookies.

* Sean Monahan had his four-game goal streak halted but extended his point streak to five games (4-2---6). Monahan ranks fourth on the club with 15-16—31 in 48 GP, three points shy of his 75-game total from his rookie campaign (22-12—34).

* Joe Colborne (1-1—2) and Jiri Hudler (0-2—2) also posted multiple points for the Flames. Hudler is tied with Mark Giordano (11-30—41 in 48 GP) for the team-lead with 14-27—41 in 46 GP.

* The Flames scored three third-period goals to raise their season total to 59 goals in the final frame, tied with the Lightning for the League lead.

AROUND THE LEAGUE
More highlights from the first night of post-All-Star Break action:

* After representing the hometown squad on Team Foligno during the 2015 Honda NHL All-Star Weekend, Nick Foligno (0-2—2) and Ryan Johansen (1-0—1) teamed up to guide the Blue Jackets to their third win in the last four outings. Foligno (45 GP) and Johansen (46 GP) share the team lead with 18-26—44 each this season. Fedor Tyutin (1-1—2) and Cam Atkinson (1-1—2) also had multiple points for Columbus; the goal was Atkinson’s team-leading fourth game-winner of the season (10th of his career).

* Brothers Eric (1-1—2) and Jordan Staal (0-2—2) teamed up for a goal just 22 seconds after the opening face-off and first-time NHL All-Star Justin Faulk (1-1—2) also added two points to help the Hurricanes snap a six-game home skid against the Lightning (0-5-1, dating to Mar. 3, 2012). Faulk scored his career-high ninth goal and team-leading fourth game-winner of the season (tied with Elias Lindholm); he ranks second on the club with 28 points (47 GP). After beginning the season 0-8-2, Anton Khudobin (28 saves) has won each of his last six starts.

* Devan Dubnyk stopped 23 shots and Charlie Coyle scored the game-winning goal at 15:37 of the third period to help the Wild improve to 9-1-0 in their last 10 visits to Edmonton dating to Oct. 21, 2010, including four straight wins. Dubnyk, Edmonton’s first-round pick (14th overall) in the 2004 NHL Draft, improved to 4-0-0 with a 0.98 goals-against average and .966 save percentage in four appearances against his former club. Overall, he is 3-1-0 in five appearances since joining the Wild on Jan. 14.

* Wayne Simmonds scored in regulation and potted the lone shootout tally to help the Flyers overcome an early 2-0 deficit to defeat the Coyotes. Simmonds has tallied the last two shootout winners for the Flyers, who lost their previous 10 shootout decisions before their win over Ottawa on Jan. 6. Steve Mason stopped 22 shots – and all three attempts in the tiebreaker – to earn the victory in relief in his first appearance since Jan. 10.

LOOSE PUCKS
Avalanche forward Jarome Iginla scored his 600th career goal to move within two goals of tying Mark Recchi for 19th on the all-time list and within one point of 1,200 in his NHL career . . . Jets forward Evander Kane matched a career-high with three assists (Mar. 26, 2013 at CAR) for his first three-point game since Jan. 5, 2014 (2-1—3 at PIT) . . . Flyers forward Jakub Voracek posted his League-leading 40th assist and 57th point to stretch his point streak to four games (0-5—5) . . . Coyotes forward Martin Erat tallied 1-1—2; he has 6-10—16 in 15 career games against the Flyers . . . Coyotes defenseman Connor Murphy scored while facing his father, Gord, who is an assistant coach with Philadelphia . . . Ducks forward Patrick Maroon scored to push his point streak to four games (3-3—6) . . . Ducks rookie forward Rickard Rakell (1-1—2) posted his second career multi-point game (also 2-2—4 on Jan. 11 vs. WPG) . . . Stars forward Jason Spezza notched an assist to push his point streak to five games (1-5—6) . . . Stars coach Lindy Ruff was behind the bench for his 1,294th career game, tying Jacques Martin for eighth on the NHL’s all-time list. Only Chicago’s Joel Quenneville (1,340) has coached more games among active head coaches . . . Capitals forward Nicklas Backstrom (542 GP) registered his 400th NHL assist to stretch his point streak to four games (2-4—6) . . . Canucks defenseman Yannick Weber played in his 200th NHL game . . . Longtime forward Radek Dvorak, who played 1,260 regular-season games with eight NHL teams, announced his retirement Tuesday . . . The Kings assigned forward Mike Richards to the Manchester Monarchs of the American Hockey League . . . The Blues acquired forward Marcel Goc from the Penguins in exchange for forward Maxim Lapierre.

BRODEUR ANNOUNCEMENT SET FOR THURSDAY
Martin Brodeur will announce his retirement from the NHL at a news conference Thursday at Scottrade Center in St. Louis (10:30 a.m., CT). Attendees will include Brodeur, Blues President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Doug Armstrong and Blues Hall-of-Famers Bernie Federko, Brett Hull and Al MacInnis.

Brodeur compiled a 691-397-176 record with a 2.24 goals-against average, a .912 save percentage and 125 shutouts in 1,266 career appearances over 22 NHL seasons. He holds regular-season goaltending records for wins, shutouts, games played and minutes played (74,438) as well as postseason marks for career starts (204) and shutouts (24).The three-time Stanley Cup champion joined the Blues as a free agent on Dec. 2. He posted a 3-3-0 record with the club, including his final NHL win, a 3-0 shutout against Colorado, on Dec. 29 at Scottrade Center.

SNEAK PEEK AT WEDNESDAY'S ACTION
All Times Eastern
Toronto @ New Jersey, 7:30 p.m., SN, MSG+
Pittsburgh @ Washington, 8:00 p.m., NBCSN, TVA, SN1
Chicago @ Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m., NBCSN, SN, SN1, CSN-CH

NBCSN Channel Finder
Sportsnet Channel Finder

CAPS-PENS CLASH STARTS WEDNESDAY NIGHT RIVALRY DOUBLEHEADER
The Metropolitan Division matchup between the Capitals and Penguins begins the second half of NBCSN’s 2014-15 Wednesday Night Rivalry series. Doubleheader coverage also features the Blackhawks starting a six-game road trip by taking on the Kings.

Washington, behind Braden Holtby's 31 saves, shut out Pittsburgh 3-0 in their first meeting this season on Dec. 27. The Penguins had won the previous eight regular-season games against the Capitals. The Kings will be looking to square the season series against the Blackhawks, who got a pair of goals from Brad Richards in a 4-1 win over Los Angeles Nov. 29 at STAPLES Center.

the information above was provided by the NHL PR department

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Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.

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