Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

NHL Short Notes

02/05/2015 at 10:35am EST

FLAMES SINK SHARKS, MOVE INTO SECOND IN PACIFIC
The Flames scored a trio of second-period goals – by Kris Russell, Jiri Hudler and Mason Raymond – to defeat the Sharks and pick up their third consecutive victory.

* With the win, the Flames (29-20-3, 61 points) climbed two spots in the Pacific Division, leapfrogging the Sharks (27-18-7, 61 points) and idle Canucks (28-18-3, 59 points) to move into second place:


* The Flames improved to 5-1-0 in their past six meetings with the Sharks dating to Jan. 30, 2014, including a 3-1-0 mark this season. The clubs face off one more time in 2014-15, on Monday at SAP Center.

* The Flames also improved to 16-4-1 against Pacific Division opponents this season. The only other club with at least 16 wins versus divisional foes is the Islanders (16-2-0 vs. Metropolitan Division).

* Jonas Hiller made 28 saves to pick up his 17th victory of the season. He has allowed two or fewer goals in each of his past five starts, posting a 4-1-0 record with a 1.41 goals-against average and .940 save percentage in that span.

* Russell snapped a 50-game scoring drought with his first goal since April 11, 2014 vs. WPG.

* Hudler recorded his 15th career game-winning marker and second of the season, both against the Sharks (also Nov. 26 at SJS). He ranks second on the team in both goals (t-15) and points (42) in 2014-15.

* Sean Monahan (17-17—34 in 52 GP) collected one assist to equal his point total from his rookie campaign in 2013-14 (22-12—34 in 75 GP).

* Per Elias, the Flames last registered at least 29 victories through their opening 52 games in 2008-09, when they started 30-18-4 en route to a second-place finish in the Northwest Division (46-30-6, 98 points).

FLEURY, PENGUINS BLANK OILERS TO RECLAIM FIRST PLACE . . .
Marc-Andre Fleury denied all 22 shots he faced, including 10 in the final period, to record his League-leading seventh shutout of the season and backstop the Penguins to their third win in their past five outings.

* At 29-14-8 (66 points), the Penguins leapfrogged the idle Islanders (32-17-1, 65 points) to reclaim first place in the Metropolitan Division. New York holds one game in hand, but Pittsburgh owns the ROW tiebreaker (PIT: 27, NYI: 26).

* Fleury (41 GP) matched a Penguins record for shutouts in one season, set by Tom Barrasso in 1997-98 (63 GP). Barrasso did not earn his seventh shutout until his 54th start of that campaign.

* Elias says the last goaltender (for any team) to post seven shutouts in his first 41 starts of one season was Brian Elliott, who hit the mark in his 32nd appearance for the Blues in 2011-12. Elliott finished that campaign with nine shutouts in 38 games, while Jonathan Quick of the Kings led the League with 10 blank sheets in 69 outings.

* Fleury shares fourth among active goaltenders with 35 career shutouts:

Most Career Shutouts, Active Goaltenders
1. Roberto Luongo (FLA): 68
2. Evgeni Nabokov (TBL): 59
3. Henrik Lundqvist (NYR): 55
t-4. Marc-Andre Fleury (PIT): 35
t-4. Pekka Rinne (NSH): 35

* Making his return to the lineup following a five-game absence, Evgeni Malkin reached the 20-goal milestone for the seventh time in his nine NHL seasons. He also notched his third game-winning goal of 2014-15, a number he has hit in each of the past two campaigns since establishing a career high with nine such markers in 2011-12.

* David Perron (1-0—1) and Mark Arcobello (0-1—1) both found the scoresheet in their returns to Edmonton. Perron (33-43—76 in 116 GP w/ EDM) was acquired via a trade on Jan. 2, while the Penguins claimed Arcobello (11-19—30 in 78 GP w/ EDM) off waivers on Jan. 14.

* The Penguins extended their point streak against the Oilers to eight games dating to Dec. 5, 2007 (6-0-2).

. . . NASH (AGAIN) POWERS RANGERS TO TIGHTEN DIVISION RACE
Rick Nash registered 1-1—2, including his League-leading 32nd goal of the season and the primary assist on Derek Stepan’s tiebreaking marker late in the second period, to propel the Rangers to their third consecutive victory.

* At 30-15-4 (64 points), the Rangers moved within one point of the idle Islanders (32-17-1, 65 points) for second place in the Metropolitan Division. The top four clubs in the division are separated by four points:


* The Rangers became the eighth team to reach the 30-win plateau this season. They have earned points in 33 of their past 45 games (29-12-4), including 23 victories in their last 31 outings.

* Via Elias, over the last 55 years, only one other Rangers player has led the NHL outright in goals this late in the season in terms of games played. Jaromir Jagr paced the League in goals through 80 Rangers games in 2005-06, but ultimately finished second overall with 54, two behind Jonathan Cheechoo of the Sharks.

* Nash has found the back of the net in 25 of the team’s opening 49 games, becoming the first Rangers player to do so since Adam Graves in 1993-94 (26 of the opening 49 GP).

* Stepan posted his 17th career game-winning goal and second of the season (also Dec. 27 vs. NJD). He has 16-40—56 in his past 59 regular-season contests dating to 2013-14, including 9-25—34 in 36 outings this season.

* Making his first start since Jan. 15, Cam Talbot stopped 18 shots to improve to 5-2-0 with a 1.51 goals-against average, .946 save percentage and three shutouts in his past eight appearances.

* The Rangers picked up their first regular-season victory over the Bruins since Feb. 12, 2013, snapping a four-game skid.

LOOSE PUCKS
Penguins captain Sidney Crosby collected his 38th assist of the season to move into a tie for second in the NHL (w/ Nicklas Backstrom). He has 15-38—53 overall, which ranks fifth in the League and one point ahead of teammate Evgeni Malkin (20-32—52) . . . Despite battling the flu, Bruins forward Milan Lucic scored his 11th goal of the season. He has 2-3—5 in his past four outings . . . Oilers goaltender Viktor Fasth made 24 saves . . . Sharks forward John Scott posted his second goal of the season (23 GP), equaling his total from his six prior NHL campaigns (236 GP) . . . ICYMI: The NHL fined Canadiens defenseman P.K. Subban $2,000 as supplementary discipline under NHL Rule 64 (Diving/Embellishment) . . . Celebrities Tom Hanks and Brian Williams attended the BOS-NYR game . . . Ellen DeGeneres, host of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, shared a video of the Canucks playing “Heads Up!” during their recent Dice & Ice fundraiser.

SNEAK PEEK AT THURSDAY’S ACTION
All Times Eastern
St. Louis @ Buffalo, 7:00 p.m., FS-MW, MSG-B, BELL TV
NY Islanders @ Philadelphia, 7:00 p.m., SN, TVA, MSG+, CSN-PH
Washington @ Ottawa, 7:30 p.m., CSN-DC+, TSN5, RDS
Los Angeles @ Florida, 7:30 p.m., FS-W, FS-F
Anaheim @ Nashville, 8:00 p.m., PRIME, FS-TN
Tampa Bay @ Dallas, 8:30 p.m., SUN, FS-SW+
Detroit @ Colorado, 9:00 p.m., NBCSN, SN360, FS-D
Carolina @ Arizona, 9:00 p.m., FS-CR, FS-A
San Jose @ Vancouver, 10:00 p.m., CSN-CA, SNP
NBCSN Channel Finder
Sportsnet Channel Finder

PREDATORS, DUCKS BATTLE FOR FIRST PLACE
The top two clubs in the NHL face off when the No. 1 Predators (33-11-6, 72 points) play host to the No. 2 Ducks (33-12-6, 72 points) at Bridgestone Arena. This marks the second of three meetings between these clubs in 2014-15; Anaheim won their first matchup on Jan. 4, tying the game with 2:17 remaining in regulation before prevailing in a shootout. Nashville, however, has secured points in 10 of their last 13 regular-season matchups dating to Jan. 5, 2011 (NSH: 7-3-3, ANA: 6-7-0). Overall, the Predators have won a franchise-record nine consecutive games at home. Pekka Rinne, who leads the NHL with 29 victories, also is expected the return in net after missing the past eight games due to injury. The Ducks, meanwhile, enter the contest with seven wins in their past nine outings.

SHARKS, CANUCKS JOCKEY FOR POSITION IN PACIFIC
The Sharks and Canucks will try to improve their positions in the Pacific Division when they meet at Rogers Arena. At 27-18-7 (61 points), San Jose currently occupies third place in the division, while Vancouver (28-18-3, 59 points) sits two points behind in the fourth spot. The Canucks, however, hold three games in hand and own the ROW tiebreaker (VAN: 26, SJS: 25). They also have won the first two contests between these clubs this season, both in regulation at SAP Center – a 3-2 victory on Nov. 6 and a 3-1 triumph on Dec. 30. The teams will face off two more times in 2014-15, meeting twice during the opening week of March (March 3 at VAN and March 7 at SJS). Overall, the Canucks are 5-3-0 in their past eight outings, while the Sharks are 5-2-2 in their last nine.

BLUES TRY TO SET FRANCHISE RECORD IN BUFFALO
The Blues, who rank third in the NHL with 70 points (33-13-4), will try to set a franchise record when they visit the Sabres at First Niagara Center. St. Louis has earned points in 12 straight contests (11-0-1), a mark achieved two other times in club history. The Blues also have won six straight games dating to Jan. 17. The Sabres, meanwhile, snapped a 14-game losing streak with a 3-2 victory over the Canadiens on Tuesday. This marks the second and final meeting between these teams in 2014-15; St. Louis has won five straight matchups and 15 of the last 17 dating to Jan. 13, 1999.

the information above was supplied by the NHL PR department

Create an Account

In order to leave a comment, please create an account.

About Kukla's Korner Hockey

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.

From breaking news to in-depth stories around the league, KK Hockey is updated with fresh stories all day long and will bring you the latest news as quickly as possible.

Email Paul anytime at [email protected]

Most Recent Posts

Most Recent Comments

Comment by Shanny_Fan in Abel to Yzerman from the entry Same Lineup Tonight - 18 minutes ago
Comment by bezukov in Abel to Yzerman from the entry Seider's Year - 32 minutes ago
Comment by damndogrevenge in Abel to Yzerman from the entry Same Lineup Tonight - 43 minutes ago
Comment by RWHockey13 in Abel to Yzerman from the entry Same Lineup Tonight - 58 minutes ago
Comment by TreKronor in Abel to Yzerman from the entry Seider's Year - 59 minutes ago