CHI 5 - MTL 1

It had been 6 long games as the backup for projected pre-season starting
goaltender Corey Crawford of the Chicago Blackhawks. When he was given his
chance, he put in a solid effort and the offense took care of the rest in a 5 – 1 rout of the
Montreal Canadiens who have now dropped four in a row to tough Eastern Conference
Opponents.
Starting goaltender Carey Price could only sit and watch as backup Peter Budaj
registered the loss for the Canadiens although they led 1 – 0 early in the second. Goals
21 seconds apart in the second period from Andrew Brunette and Patrick Sharp were all
that was needed to open up the floodgates on another performance that will leave
Canadiens Fans grinding at the bit for someone….nay, ANYONES HEAD!!!

Parlez-vous francais?

VAN 4 – DET 2
In a match-up of Western Conference powerhouses, it was last years Cup runner-
up that emerged the victor. It was Detroit’s recipe for success over the years that seemed
to be the Canucks bread and butter on this night, getting first period goals from each of
its top three lines.
The talent level was at an all time high in this game and it’s easy to see why both
of these teams are serious Cup contenders. Jannick Hansen continued his strong play
with a pair of assists and drew the ire of Red Wings goaltender Jimmy Howard, sliding
into him taking him completely out of the play as Alexander Edler scored to give the
Canucks a two goal lead in the third. Howard came out swinging at Jannick Hansen,
clearly outraged at the particular variety of assist Hansen gave to Edler on the play.
Should be fun to see these two Titans link up in the Playoffs! The Canucks moved
to 7 – 1 – 1 in their last 9 games.

PHI 4 – DAL 1
Although the Dallas Stars have been hot as of late, they couldn’t cool off Claude
Giroux who was eager to make up for lost time in the scoring race posting a goal and
three assists in his return to the Flyers lineup.
With the win, Philadelphia improved on its NHL best 13 – 3 – 2 record away
from the Wells Fargo Center. On a side note, Jaromir Jagr scored his 657th Career goal
and passed NHL disciplinarian Brendan Shannahan for 11th all-time.
Wish I had moves like Jagr…..

SJS 7 – TBL 2
This game was over shortly after it got started as the San Jose Sharks pounced on
a Tampa Bay Lightning team who is seriously lacking any kind of bright spot beyond
Steven Stamkos at this point. The Sharks held a 5 – 0 lead before the game was even 15
minutes old and did not look back for 7 – 2 victory over the dismal Tampa Bay
Lightning.
Is it too soon to say Victor Hedman might need a new home to spark the potential that was once seen in him when the Lightning took him 2nd overall in the 09 draft?

COL 3 – STL 2
It was all Jean-Sebastien Giguere as the Colorado Avalanche were able to hang
on for a 3 – 2 victory over the St. Louis Blues. Giguere made 37 saves for the win while
his Avalanche were outshot 11 – 1 in the third period and 39 – 22 overall.
The Blues erased a 2 – 0 second period deficit on goals from David Backes and
Chris Stewart, but managed to give up the game winning goal on a fluke play. Jay
McClement was credited with the goal as his pass was carried into the net by a sliding
Alex Pietrangelo who was trying to take away the pass on the 2 on 1. A lengthy review
confirmed the puck had crossed the line before Pietrangelo, and teammate Matt
D’Agostini, crashed into the net and knocked it of its moorings.
For the Blues, it marked their first regulation loss in their last seven games.

PHX 4 – CAR 3
The Carolina Hurricanes had been able to do at least one thing right until
Wednesday nights match-up with the Coyotes. They hadn’t lost a game in regulation
while leading after two periods of play this season posting a 9 – 0 – 2 record. But upon
setting up the tying goal early in the third, Lauri Korpikoski potted the eventual winner
just 6 minutes later for a 4 - 3 comeback victory for the Phoneix Coyotes.
Jason LaBarbera (3 – 3 - 0), who played in place of Mike Smith who went down
the night before with a lower-body injury, posted the win for the Coyotes. For the
Hurricanes, their record moves to 10 – 19 – 6, good enough for dead last in the Eastern
Conference.