Game #15: Minnesota Wild vs Columbus Blue Jackets, Saturday November 15, 2008 at 7:00pm (CST), Xcel Energy Center (GAME PREVIEW)

Minnesota Wild (9-4-1) 19pts 1st in Northwest Division2.57 Goals per Game (23rd in)2.00 Goals Against per Game (1st in)23.4% Power Play (4th in)93.2% Penalty Kill (1st in)Top 5 Scorers:1. #9 Mikko Koivu ~ 2G 13A = 15pts2. #20 Antti Miettinen ~ 6G 6A = 12pts3. #15 Andrew Brunette ~ 6G 4A = 10pts4. #25 Eric Belanger ~ 4G 4A = 8pts5. #47 Marc-Andre Bergeron ~ 2G 5A = 7ptsTop 3 Penalty Minutes:1. #24 Derek Boogaard ~ 16PIM2. #8 Brent Burns ~ 14PIM3. #9 Mikko Koivu ~ 12PIMGoaltenders:1. #32 Niklas Backstrom ~ (9-3-1) 2.01GAA .935SV%2. #29 Josh Harding ~ (0-1-0) vsColumbus Blue Jackets (8-7-2) 18pts 3rd in Central Division3.12 Goals per Game (10th in)3.18 Goals Against per Game (21st in)12.0% Power Play (30th in)81.6% Penalty Kill (13th in)Top 5 Scorers:1. #16 Derrick Brassard ~ 8G 8A = 16pts2. #25 Jason Chimera ~ 5G 9A = 14pts3. #61 Rick Nash ~ 7G 6A = 13pts4. #20 Kristian Huselius ~ 5G 6A = 11pts5. #93 Jakub Voracek ~ 3G 8A = 11ptsTop 3 Penalty Minutes:1. #15 Derek Dorsett ~ 56PIM2. #40 Jaren Boll ~ 45PIM3. #19 Michael Peca ~ 30PIMGoaltenders:1. #31 Pascal Leclaire ~ (4-3-0) 3.08GAA .900SV%2. #1 Steve Mason ~ (3-1-0) 2.95GAA .896SV%3. #20 Fredrik Norrena ~ (1-3-2) 3.16GAA .872SV%4. #34 Daniel Lacosta ~ (0-0-0) 3.43GAA .895SV%If ever there was a time for the Wild to live up to the claim that they're ruining the game with their "boring, defensive" style of play, tonight would be the night. Only a fool would say that the Blue Jackets couldn't score. They can, and sometimes with a vengeance. Their 6-1 victory over the Buffalo Sabres is clear proof of that.What the Blue Jackets do have problems with is stopping the puck from going in their net. Looking at their overall team stats as well as their goaltending stats tells a sad tale. First off, the Jackets have had a "cast of thousands" in the role of goaltender. Well, maybe not thousands, but when you've played four different goaltenders in a mere 17 games you're going to have problems. Every goaltender has their style and the players in front of them know that. The problem is that when you go through so many different players at that position, it's going to be hard for the skaters to adjust. Clearly that's been a problem. It appears that neither the skaters or goaltenders have had a real chance to find their overall groove.While it's been a team defense nightmare for the Jackets, they still have a decent record. As I said for the last Wild game, it doesn't matter how many goals you stop, it's how many you score. It is by that measure that the Blue Jackets have the record they do. They're not afraid to take shots on goal, especially when they can and do (and often in bunches) score. Although, part of me has to wonder how much longer the Jackets' rookie Derrick Brassard can continue his scoring tear. While he's playing great now, it has to have coach Ken Hitchcock worried. To heap that amount of responsibility on a young player often backfires in the long run. The Jackets definitely need their veterans to step up if they want to finally make the post-season. Tonight could be an absolute nightmare for the Wild. Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't be too worried about stopping most teams. When it comes to the Blue Jackets, weird things happen. Considering that the full moon was just this past Thursday, almost anything could happen tonight. It's almost getting to the point, where the league might want to decide to never let the Wild and Blue Jackets meet, ever. First it was the infamous goal up Wes Walz's breezers then it was the waived off goal because Rick Nash had his stick at shoulder height, which is above the crossbar. If you have a weak constitution, this might be a game you want to skip.I don't know about you, but I will gladly welcome grief from all corners about our supposed neutral-zone trap. It may very well be our salvation tonight. P.S. The State of Hockey News would once again like to offer its congratulations to the Houston (MN) Hurricane's 9-man football team. They beat Ada-Borup High School 56-14 in yesterday's semi-final game at the Metrodome in Minneapolis. They will face Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley High School in the state championship game on Friday, November 28th. Good job boys. You deserve all the success you've had this year. Source

It's Josh Bailey's job to lose

Starting against Ottawa tonight at the Coliseum, Josh Bailey has seven more games in which to lose an roster spot he's already shown he has the skill level to handle. The Senators make a return visit to the Coliseum two weeks from tonight, and if I had to make a wager on it, I'd bet Bailey will be in the Islanders' lineup for his 10th game, which would mean that, while he still could return to Windsor or play in the World Junior championships, the first year would come off his entry-level contract. Isles coach Scott Gordon couldn't have been more clear about where he stands on Bailey's position on the team at the pre-game skate today. Only 17-year veteran and former All-Star Doug Weight has more playmaking skill than Bailey on this team, Gordon said. Meanwhile, teams like Dallas and Philadelphia have three pretty good playmakers in the middle. As much as Gordon liked what he saw from Bailey in rookie camp and the first part of training camp, the 19-year-old gave him pause with his performance in his first exhibition against Philadelphia on Sept. 25 in London, Ont. "I almost felt like he wasn't ready because he seemed real tentative," Gordon said. Bailey suffered the lower body injury in that game that put him on the shelf until he was activated to face the Flyers on Tuesday. Except for two offensive-zone penalties, he played well in that game, and Bailey took another step in Thursday's 3-1 win at Ottawa, assisting on a goal by Kyle Okposo and logging more than five minutes of power-play time out of his 13 minutes on the ice. "What he's done is eliminated those thoughts I had in that exhibition game against Philadelphia," Gordon said. "He hasn't played at a junior pace. So, that's very encouraging. Whether he'll be able to maintain that through these nine games will probably dictate whether he stays here or goes back to junior. "I think the bonus for us if he's able to stay here is that it accelerates his progress for next year. If he goes back to junior, granted he'll play a lot. But he'll play at a pace that he should be above. Then, it's a situation where he comes in next year and has to start over getting back into our system versus what they're doing in Windsor. If he's able to come in here and play at an pace through nine games, at least we'll have a better read on what the right thing is to do for this year and next year." Gordon said Bailey has an exceptional maturity level and the intelligence to adapt very quickly to the demands placed upon him. Where some 20-year-olds coming out of juniors would go straight to the minors to develop, Gordon said Bailey would be an exceptional talent at the AHL level right now. Following his performance in Ottawa the other night, there was something about the way Bailey handled himself in the postgame interview session that gave me the feeling he sees himself as an player now. So, I asked Gordon for his take. "I can tell you the conversation I had in the third period," the coach said. "[Jason] Spezza and [Dany] Heatley went on the ice, and it was at a time out and Josh's line was going. He says to me, 'Do you want me to change?' I said, 'No, I want to see that you can play against Spezza and Heatley in a 3-1 game.' I can't evaluate a guy if I don't see what's going to go wrong. I've got to evaluate the guy with the assumption that he's going to do the right things, and he ended up having a good shift out there." So, if Bailey already is the Isles' second-best playmaker, what's the argument to send him back to Windsor? "That's what we'll find out in the games," Gordon said. "If he clearly establishes himself as the second-best guy, that's what we'll have to base our decision on." Lets' say Bailey passes that test. Now, the top three centers are Weight, Bailey and rookie Frans Nielsen. That leaves Mike Comrie (when his surgically repaired hip is stronger), Richard Park and Nate Thompson (when he recovers from a strained groin) as the players most likely to center the fourth line. All three also can play on the wing, as Comrie did during training camp when Bailey was healthy. If there's no dropoff by Bailey over the next two weeks, that's what will happen. ISLES FILES: Any other day, the big news would be that defenseman Brendan Witt has been cleared for contact and is back practicing with the team. D Radek Martinek returns tonight from his right shoulder injury and should be reunited with his regular partner in another six days. Witt's injured knee will be examined by the medical staff before the game, but so far, there's been no swelling. It's just over three weeks since he was injured, and the timetable for his return was 4-6 weeks. Witt wants to make sure the strength is good, but right now, his goal is to return next Friday at New Jersey with the expectation of playing three games in four nights, including Saturday in Buffalo and Monday in Montreal. Asked if he might consider playing just two of those three, Witt said: "To me, if I can only play two out of the three, it's not ready, and I'm not going to put the team in that situation. I'd never do that." Hmmmmm, interesting…Here's what Gordon had to say about the five-game suspension D Thomas Pock received for the elbow he delivered to the head of Ottawa rookie Ryan Shannon: "I think the league has taken a pro-active approach. They sent out a FAX yesterday discussing Ruutu [Ottawa's Jarkko Ruutu, who received two games for a head shot] and Pock. They said here's two guys who aren't repeat offenders, and here's what the suspensions are. It brings attention to the fact Thomas Pock has never done anything like this and he's getting five games. I think Thomas got himself in a situation where maybe he panicked as Shannon was going by him and his initial reaction was just to stop him. It wasn't so much that he was trying to hurt Ryan. That's not his makeup. But in those situations, you have to have a little more caution."…Isles goaltender Joey MacDonald is set to make his seventh straight start tonight...Oops, almost forgot that former Mets and Yankees star Darryl Strawberry is dropping the puck tonight on behalf of autism awareness. This morning, he met Massachusetts native Gordon, who told him, "You broke my heart in '86.'" Strawberry laughed and said, "Oh no, not another Red Sox fan."Source

Buffalo Sabres vs Pittsburgh Penguins live streaming

Watch Buffalo Sabres vs Pittsburgh Penguins Live streaming on your PC .Match scheduled to begin at 01:30(GMT) on 16th november 2008Competition:Icehockey| Source

Penguins 5, Sabres 2 - 11-15-08

PREGAME-Greetings from an absolutely ugly day in Pittsburgh. It's raining, winding, cloudy. It might be a great day for hockey, but it's just not a great day period.-Mellon Arena with a cab drive attempting to break the sound barrier on Washington Place:-A Jordan Staal Peterborough Petes jersey:(He just started walking when we decided to take the picture.)-We think these are supposed to be "jerseys" for fans to wear tonight in honor of the team pulling out their blue jerseys. They're free so who's complaining:The ice:-Forward Paul Bissonnette was demoted to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton today. He had not played since a 2-1 loss in San Jose Oct. 28. It's the right move for him. We're not sure how much potential he has as an NHL player, but he's not going to reach it sitting next to us in the press box. He'll get playing time in the AHL.-A few jerseys we've seen:-There are quite a few Sabres fans in the house:-A Gilbert Perreault jersey:-We nearly passed out when we saw this Uwe Krupp Nordiques jersey:-Petr Nedved:-Ulf Samuelsson:-A Gilles Meloche California Golden Seals jersey:(This guy sits towards C-9 and he almost always has either a Meloche Golden Seals or Penguins jersey on.)-We understand this is a Mario Lemieux Team Canada jersey but on a night when the team wears blue, why would you wear red?-As you can imagine, quite a few people are wearing their blue Penguins jerseys:-Santa Claus is early and he's a Yinzer:-Warm ups:-Cotton candy heeeee!!!! Cotton candy heeee!!! -Here's why we need a new arena in Pittsburgh. Check out this bottle neck near B-28:-Buffalo's scratches are Ales Kotalik, Tim Connolly and Nathan Paetsch.-Paetsch probably doesn't have good memories of his last visit to Mellon Arena, assuming he had any at all after he was elbowed in the head by Georges Laraque: -The Penguins' on scratch is Darryl Sydor.-Ryan Miller and Marc-Andre Fleury are the starting goaltenders.-A very cool presentation set to The Who's "Baba O'Riley" is played to acknowledge the blue jerseys: -No Jeff Jimerson = No photo of the national anthem.-We would say about 50 percent of the arena is in powder blue. The other 50 percent is a little bit of everything else.(You can't really tell from that photo.)-Does anyone else feel a little off about this game from the Penguins' point of view? They're coming off two emotional, roller coaster wins against rivals (if you consider Detroit a rival now) and Buffalo is coming off a butt-kicking at home to the lowly Blue Jackets. They'll want to rebound. This just seems right for a Sabres win to us.FIRST PERIOD19:32: Miroslav Satan chops a loose puck along the boards on net. Miller fights it off.19:11: Maxime Talbot snaps a wrister off from the right wing that misses the net.18:38: The Sabres have a chance at a breakaway but Rob Scuderi is able to chase down the puck and prevent the scoring chance.17:34: Adam Mair absolutely runs over Petr Sykora in the corner. Nice check. It takes Sykora a few moments to recover to his feet.15:18: Evgeni Malkin sneaks in and snaps a wrister on net. Miller kicks it out.14:50: Jason Pominville slides a puck into the slot. A teammate tips it a bit. Fleury is able to make the save.13:42: Adam Peters steals a puck in the neutral zone, works it into the Penguins' zone and tosses a wrister on net. Fleury knocks it away.13:19: "LET'S GO PENS! LET'S GO PENS!"13:01: Tyler Kennedy tees up a slapper from the right point that Miller knocks away with ease.11:46: Mair brings the puck into the offensive zone, slides it back to Andrej Sekera. From the right point, Sekera tosses it on net. Fleury makes the sto but but gives up a rebound. Pominville is there on the doorstop to swat it in for a goal. Fleury needed to do a better job on that rebound and his defense needed to account for Pominville. A sloppy goal to give up all around. A healthy group of Sabres fans cheer. That was the first stoppage of the game. Sekera and Mair get assists. Sabres 1-0.10:34: Kennedy blasts another slapper. A Sabres defense shows some guts and blocks it.10:20: Derek Roy is nabbed for holding. Satan, Sidney Crosby, Malkin, Talbot and Alex Goligoski take the ice.9:17: Crosby chops a puck on net from the corner. Talbot appears to re-direct it on net with his skate. Miller covers it.8:20: Roy's penalty expires without much of an attack from the Penguins.7:34: The great Mike Zigomanis takes a pass in the slot and rips a wrister that Craig Rivet blocks. The puck deflects into the netting and halts play.7:20: Eric Godard swats a loose puck on net. Fortunately for the Sabres, It was Eric Godard shooting and the puck misses the net.6:43: Malkin hauls down Jochen Hecht behind the net. Two minutes. Jordan Staal, Mark Eaton, Brooks Oprik and the great Mike Zigomanis take the ice for the penalty kill.5:20: Jaroslav Spacek blasts a slapper from the left point. Fleury has a clear lane to see it and eats it up.4:51: Roy slides a pass across the crease to Spacek who whips a one-timer on net from in tight. Fleury is able to slide over and make a fantastic save.4:43: Malkin's penalty ends.4:36: Brooks Orpik dumps uber-pest Patrick Kaleta behind the Penguins net. Two minutes. Orpik says something to Kaleta about the Lofthouse Colliery disaster. We think. Staal, Eaton, Hal Gill and the great Mike Zigomanis are on for the kill.2:43: Drew Stafford tosses a puck in the crease. It hits off a skate and comes right to Maxim Afinogenov. Afinogenov whips it on net but Fleury is able to slide over again and make another great save. Afinogenov looks up into the air in disgust seemingly.2:36: Orpik's penalty expires.1:43: Ruslan Fedotenko slaps a puck on net. A Sabres player deflects out of play.1:38: Toni Lydman dumps Tyler Kennedy behind the Sabres net. Two minutes. Malkin, Goligoski, Satan, Crosby and Sykora take the ice.0:56: Satan snaps a wrister on net. Miller kicks itout.0:41: Crosby pokes a puck into the crease. Miller covers it.0:06: Kris Letang tees up a slapper at the right point. It hits a body in the slot and scoots out to Kennedy on the other side. Kennedy almost immediately shoots. Miller is able to kick it out.0:00: End of period. Joe Satriani's "Crowd Chant" brings in the intermission. Sabres 1, Penguins 0. FIRST INTERMISSION-The Sabres didn't do a lot to take a lead that period, but thankfully for them the Penguins did even less.-Buffalo has an 11-6 lead in shots.-Andrew Peters of all people leads the game in shots with three. Huh?-Kennedy and Satan lead the Penguins with two.-The Penguins have a 9-7 edge in faceoffs.-Paul Gaustad is 4-for-5.-Rivet leads the game with 8:10 of ice time.-Staal leads the Penguins with 7:22.-Lydman and Eaton lead the game with two blocked shots each.-The Penguins have a whopping three shots on the power play tonight. That dwarfs the two power-play shots the Penguins had Thursday against the Flyers.-The Penguins will have a 21-second power play to begin the period.SECOND PERIOD19:43: Goligoski fires a slapper from the left point a Sabres player deflects away.18:43: Fleury is called for slashing. Matt Cooke will serve the penalty, Gill, Staal, the great Mike ZIgomanis and Eaton are on for the kill.18:11: Staal carries the puck up ice and tosses a wrister on net. Miller traps it in his mid-section and freezes play. Talbot, Pascal Dupuis, Gil and Rob Scuderi are on for the kill.17:11: A light "Let's-Go Sab-res!" chant is drowned out by "LET'S GO PENS! LET'S GO PENS!"16:43: Fleury's penalty ends.16:22: Pominville enters the offensive zone and blasts a slapper that Fleury gloves.15:02: Malkin steals a pass in the offensive zone, turns and whips a wrister on net. Miller fights it off.14:24: Miller covers a loose puck in the crease and ends a pretty mad rush by the Penguins in his end.14:11: Roy takes a pass in the slot then dishes it to Stafford on the left wing. Stafford shoots a rising wrister that Fleury traps against his chest.13:10: Fleury corrals a loose puck behind the net. Someone behind the net yells, "SHOOT IT FLEURY!"12:24: Goligoski whips a puck on net from the left poitn. It dribbles in on the net. Miller attempts to cover it while fighting off Talbot. Officials blow a quick whistle to halt play. The puck comes loose before a Penguins player knocks it into an empty net. The goal horn goes off for a moment. Fans cheer but it's not a goal.12:21: Right off the faceoff, Cooke is called for slashing after he knocks away Rivet's stick. He puts up quite a protest. Orpik, Eaton, Staal and the great Mike Zigomanis take the ice. Things pretty much took an 180 degree turn for the Penguins there.10:21: Cooke's penalty expires.9:58: Cooke chases a puck into the corner. A Sabres player follows him and hits him high with an elbow. The puck comes loose. Malkin tees up a slapper from the left point that someone blocks. Play is halted. That was a crazy little sequence there. Crosby fights off a Sabres player with a cross check after the whistle. Attendance is announced as 17,132. That's the 75th consecutive sellout for the team. Stafford is called for elbowing. Malkin, Goligoski, Crosby take the ice with Kennedy and Staal. Hmmm... 9:10: Kennedy and Staal are replaced by Sykora and Fedotenko.8:53: Goligoski fires a shot from the left point. Miller saves it. Goligoski gets it back and slides the puck to Malkin at the right point. Malkin blasts a slapper. It hits something in the crease, changes direction and fools Miller a bit. He's out of place as the puck trickles by him. Crosby is there to make sure it goes in. Malkin gets credit for the goal. The "Hey Song" is played. Goligoski and Fedotenko get assists. Malkin extends his scoring streak to 13 games. Penguins 1, Sabres 1. 7:51: Dupuis steals a puck in the neutral zone, works it up ice and whirps a wrister on net that is deflected away.7:10: Talbot directs a puck on net that Miller has a tough time with. Satan tries to follow up on the rebound bout can collect it cleanly.6:01: Fedotenko snaps a wrister in the slot wide of the net.4:35: Cooke tries to lineup a Sabres player behind the Buffalo net but appears to get the worse of the collision.4:07: On a delayed penalty, Staal clangs a wrister off the cross bar. Gaustad is called for hooking. Crosby, Goligoski, Malkin, Fedotenko and Satan are on for the man advantage. 2:21: Miller covers a loose puck in the crease. Satan gives Rivet a bit of nudge. Rivet responds with a cross check.2:07: Another Penguins power play expires without much of an attack.1:33: Staal takes a nice pass from Cooke in the slot and whips a wrister on net. A Sabres defender deflects it out of play.1:18: The ever dangerous Rob Scuderi bombs a slapper from the right point. Miller fights it off with his right shoulder.1:10: Kennedy is nabbed for holding Roy. Orpik, Eaton, Staal and the great Mike Zigomanis are on for the kill.0:45: Wow what a pass. Clarke MacArthur controls the puck along the goal line and slides a perfect pass to Thomas Vanek on the right side of the net. Vanek directs it into the empty net immediately for a slick goal. That said, Mark Eaton lost his coverage on Vanek. MacArthur and Roy get assists. Another healthy cheer from Sabres fans is offered. Sabres 2-1.0:34: Kaleta is called for holding. Goligoski, Malkin, Crosby, Staal and Sykora are on for the power play.0:08: Goligoski slides a puck into the slot for Sykora who whiffs on a shot.0:04: The puck bounces out to Malkin at the right point who has a chance to blast it but he can't collect it cleanly and it clears the zone. Malkin slams his stick on the ice in frustration.0:00: End of period. "Crowd Chant" Sabres 2, Penguins 1. SECOND INTERMISSION-The Penguins played a little better that period but they still seemed a little out of it.-Buffalo has a 17-16 edge in shots.-Vanek, Pominville, Sekera, Peters, Malkin and Satan all lead the game with three shots.-The Penguins have a 19-18 edge in faceoffs.-The not-so-great Mike Zigomanis is a mere 3-for-7.-Crosby is 8-for-15.-Gaustad is 7-for-4.-Rivet leads the game with 16:24 of ice time.-Goligoski leads the Penguins with 15:17.-Rivet also leads the game with four blocked shots.-A new game at intermission was introduced. It was essentially roller derby on ice with goaltenders. The dark blue goaltender won. -The Penguins will have 1:25 of power-play time on fresh ice.THIRD PERIOD20:00: Staal, Sykora, Crosby, Malkin and Goligoski start the period.18:54: A clear by the Sabres brings out some boos.18:35: Kaleta's penalty expires. Another weak effort on the power play.17:10: Malkin grabs a puck behind the Sabres' net. He dishes it to Fedotenko who then dishes it to Godard in the slot. Godard pops a puck on net that Miller nabs with his glove. Nice play. Too bad Eric Godard was the shooter.14:58: Kennedy fires a quick wrister from in tight. Miller fights it off.14:39: Eaton appears to get away with a bit of a trip by the Penguins' net.13:03: Vanek tries for a wraparound. Fleury holds it out. Vanek falls but still jabs for a rebound. Fleury holds his ground.12:43: Vanek dishes a nice pass to a teammate in the slot. The Sabres player attempt to re-direct it but pushes the puck wide. That was a nice try.12:30: Cooke mashes Spacek to the ice in the corner.12:24: Sabres coach Lindy Ruff calls a time out to organize a *** tournament. We think.10:40: Malkin chops a shot in the crease that gets blocked and sails into the air.10:24: Crosby dishes a puck into the slot for Fedotenko. Fedotenko snaps a wrister on net that Miller is able to cover.9:29: Crosby does an "in-and-out" move on Henrik Tallinder. Tallinder trips him up with his leg. The official puts his hand up. Tallinder points at Crosby and we assume he accuses the Penguins' captain of a dive. No dice. Two minutes. Crosby, Staal, Goligoski, Malkin and Satan are on for the power play. The Penguins need to do something with this. 9:01: Malkin sends a cross-ice pass to Satan. Satan tries to one-time it but doesn't quite hit the puck right as it bounces up on him. Miller gloves it.8:55: Miller eats up a one-timer by Malkin from the point. Staal is there to create traffic. Miller doesn't appreciate it and gives Staal a jab to the mid-section with his stick. No penalty. Staal is stunned for a few moments.8:17: Malkin controls the puck at the top of the slot and fakes a slapper. He gets two Sabres to commit then slides it to Crosby on the right wing. Crosby then slides it to Goligoski on the left wing. The rookie defenseman then burns an out-of-place Miller on the stick side. Pretty play. "Hey Song." Malkin and Crosby get assists. Penguins 2, Sabres 2. 7:18: Pominville takes a wild swing at a puck at the left point and knocks Malkin's stick out of his hand.6:20: Fedotenko tries to pursue a rebound off a blocked shot but gets dumped by Lydman.5:59: Roy surges by Letang and generates a breakaway. Roy dekes to the forehand but can't beat Fleury who makes a save with his right toe. Big save there.5:48: Crosby works through some checks and whips a backhander from the slot that misses the net.4:59: Teppo Numminen fires a slapper from the right point that misses the mark.4:33: Wow what a passing play. Kennedy slides the puck around the boards to Cooke behind the net. Cooke then dishes a spectacular pass to the slot wear Staal jumps on it and blows it by Miller. We were about to ask where Staal has been this game but nevermind. "Hey Song." Kennedy and Cooke get assists. Penguins 3-2. 4:09: You can hear some "Millll...Errrrrr... Milll....Errrrr..." chants.3:31: Malkin steals the puck in the Penguins zone and works it up ice generating a three-on-two with Sykora and Fedotenko. He allows Sykora to skate towards the net dragging a defender with him then slides it to Fedotenko who pounds it by Miller. Another fine passing play. Penguins 4-2. 2:33: "Mill...Errrrr... Mill....Errrrr" chants are countered with "LET'S-GO BUFF-A-LO!2:00: Vanek zips a puck into the crease. Fleury fights it off while dealing with a Sabres player who attempts to dig at a rebound. Fleury is cheered with "FLERRR-EEEE! FLEERRR-EEE! chants.0:50: Miller has been pulled for an extra attacker.0:23: Malkin works the puck up ice and dishes a backhanded pass to Staal at the blue line. Afinogenov dives to knock the puck away but Staal gets by and coolly slides the puck into the cage for one of us. "Hey Song." Penguins 5-2. 0:00: End of game. The "Woo-Hoo!" song is played. Penguins 5, Sabres 2. POSTGAME-Following the announcement of the three stars, Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" plays the Penguins' faithful off to the streets of Pittsburgh: -The one good thing about the Penguins' inability to play a complete game is that if they start off poorly, chances are they won't finish poorly. They can play well for 40 minutes and follow it up with a bad third period. But they can also do the opposite. The Penguins were really flat the first two periods and even the first 10 minutes of the third then really turned it on.-If you didn't watch this game, you might have assumed it was a ho-hum contest by the score which the Penguins won with ease. That was hardly the case. -Like we said earlier, we were going to ask where Jordan Staal had been this game, then he has the audacity to score the game-winner with less than five minutes left. Jerk.-He has eight points (seven goals, one assist) in his past six games. -Crosby had nine points (three goals, six assists) in his past six games.-Malkin has a measly 27 points (six goals, 21 assists) in his 13-game scoring streak.-Malkin passed up Washington's Alexander Semin for the league lead in scoring. Malkin has 30 points to Semin's 27. Semin did not play tonight for Washington which fell in a shootout to New Jersey, 6-5.-The Sabres finished with a 25-23 edge in shots.-Pominville and Malkin led the game with four shots.-The Penguins had a 30-27 advantage in faceoffs.-Malkin was 5-for-6.-Rivet led the game with 23:37 of ice time.-Malkin was second with 23:28.-Rivet was tops in the game with five blocked shots.-Lydman, Eaton and Orpik all had four blocked shots.-Malkin moved passed Aleksey Morozov for 31st place on the franchise scoring list. Malkin has 221 career points to Morozov's 319. Malkin now has the second-most points among Russian-born players with the Penguins. He trails Alex Kovalev 347.-Staal moved passed Michel Ouellet for 90th place on the team's scoring list. He now has 81 points to Ouellet's 80.-A good sign hanging in the North F balcony said "The Pens are mightier than the swords"-The Penguins are 2-0-0 against the Sabres in their blue uniforms in the 2008 calendar year. We sense a trend.-The Penguins are 6-0-0 so far in November with six games left to go in the month. We can't immediately recall them ever going undefeated in a month other than April where you only play a handful of games.-Game summary.-Event summary.

DEVELOPING NEWS: Doug Gilmour to Coach Kingston

From TSNSources tell TSN Doug Gilmour has been hired as head coach of the Kingston Frontenacs in the Ontario Hockey League. The official announcement will be made at 1pm et/10am pt. The Frontenacs sit last in the East Division with a 5-13-4-1 record through 23 games played. The club has just one win in regulation time in the past 10 contests and hold the league-worst power play record. Gilmour, a Kingston, Ontario native and formerer, was named an assistant coach of the American Hockey League's Toronto Marlies in August after spending the past two seasons working as an advisor to the Toronto Maple Leafs' management. A 7th round selection (134th overall) by the St. Louis Blues in 1982, Gilmour went on to play for the Calgary Flames, Maple Leafs, New Jersey Devils, Chicago Blackhawks, Buffalo Sabres and Montreal Canadiens. He won the Stanley Cup with the Flames in 1989, and was awarded the Frank J. Selke Trophy as the's best defensive forward while with the Maple Leafs in 1993. He retired in September 2003.I didn't realize the Frontenacs were looking for a coach. With the record, it looks like the team needs a fresh start. Gilmour has been in the Maple Leafs organization for a few years. I am surprised he has left the organization. Maybe he knows something that the rest of us don't know about. Maybe he doesn't like Brian Burke who looks like he will be heading to Toronto.I found it interesting a new coach has been named after Mark Potter and Tim Cunningham dicussed Kingston on Queens Golden Gaels radio broadcast.That's My Take(Nathan also is a writer for Maineiacs Post to Post and the Maine Hockey Journal. He can be reached at fourniern@students.nescom.edu)Source

GAMEDAY [17] -- BUFFALO SABRES

9 - 4 - 321 PTSBuffalo ain't no joke.Coach Lindy Ruff wasn't going to sit idly by and watch his team not make the playoffs again.We still hate him.::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::Musical chairs on the Pens blue line. PGTHE TRIB dominates with this stat:Pens victories this season when trailing after two periods: 52007-08 total: 6Fleury's mask. Click to enlarge.::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::Flashblog will be getting some new shit added.We're putting all the Pens sites and blogs in there, as well as links.We're also gonna put links to where you can watch games online.And finally, we'll put a blog FAQ in there.** IF YOU CAN, PLEASE LIST ALL AVAILABLE SITES FOR ONLINE VIEWING THAT YOU KNOW OF IN C-BLOG.::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::*** JERSEYBLOG UPDATE ***All the pieces are ready to be assembled:- Patches are complete- Jersey shells have all been created(each jersey was custom made, not shells that were sitting on a shelf.)- Letters are cut and ready to goAll the pieces are heading to assembly on Monday. The owner of the shop said he thinks they will wrap production by Friday and have them in our hands before Thanksgiving break.:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::Ready to rollSource

Sabres lines; blue Jackets

Tim Connolly is sidelined again, this time with a bruised chest, so the ever-changing Sabres forward lines were changed again. Here's what coach Lindy Ruff put together today: Thomas Vanek-Derek Roy-Ales Kotalik (same) Jochen Hecht-Clarke MacArthur-Jason Pominville (new) Daniel Paille-Adam Mair-Drew Stafford (new) Andrew Peters-Paul Gaustad-Patrick Kaleta/Maxim Afinogenov (new) Not sure if Ruff has forgiven Max for careless play with puck or if he'll bench him for Friday's game against Columbus. The Blue Jackets, meanwhile, should come in with an attitude after coach Ken Hitchcock blasted their effort in Wednesday's 5-2 loss to Phoenix. In other/nhl news: *Philadelphia's Daniel Briere, who just returned from abdominal surgery, is out for a week with a groin strain. He's is targeting the Nov. 21 game in Buffalo as his return date. *Yahoo has the Sabres as the/nhl's fourth-best team in its latest rankings. *Former Sabres defenseman Keith Carney retired. ---John VoglSource

Brodeur's surgery "100 percent successful"

Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello said the doctors told him that goaltender Martin Brodeur's surgery this morning to repair his torn distal biceps tendon in his left elbow was "100 percent successful.""Everything went as expected," Lamoriello just told me. "There were no surprises. The timetable for his return is the same -- three to four months."Brodeur's tendon was torn completely from the bone in his left elbow and had to be reattached. He is expected to make a full recovery and be back in time for the end of the regular season.The procedure was performed early this morning by orthapedic surgeon Dr. Steven Beldner of Beth Israel Medical Center in Manhattan. Team orthapedist Dr. Barry Fisher was also on hand. Lamoriello said he was at the hospital this morning as the surgery was being done.***Brian Rolston (high right ankle sprain) skated again today for the third day in a row, but Lamoriello said he "didn't want to say" if he expected Rolston to be cleared to practice with the team next week because he doesn't want to jump the gun. "He skated again today," Lamoriello said. "He's progressing."Lamoriello also said Bobby Holik (broken right pinky) is "progressing too", but would not say if he has been cleared to begin physical activity. ***The (with Elias' Sports Bureau's help) provided some stats today on the Devils' win Wednesday night without Brodeur. In addition to the stat I supplied after the game that Kevin Weekes was just the second Devils goaltender other than Brodeur to win a shootout (Scott Clemmensen  was the first, when he won the team's first shootout ever on Oct. 29, 2005 in Boston), they came up with these two:**The Devils' victory Wednesday night was just their third when Brodeur was not dressed since 1993-94, his first full season. The two previous wins occurred on Oct. 28 and 29, 2005, Scott Clemmensen defeated Buffalo and Boston, respectively.**Prior to his injury Saturday, Brodeur had suited up for 1,114 of New Jersey's 1,126 regular-season games since 1993-94. In the 12 full contests Brodeur had missed, the Devils’ record had been 2-6-4. With one victory and one loss in the two full games since Brodeur’s injury, Weekes has improved the figure to 3-7-4. Source

Avalanche vs Wild, Game 13 Preview

Well that was a long layoff. The Avalanche haven't played hockey since their 2-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres on October 23rd so I expect them to be well rested for tonight's home game against the Minnesota Wild.Sakic hurt?The big question tonight is whether Joe Sakic will be in the lineup or not. He left yesterday's practice with a strained back but Tony Granato claimed it wasn't serious.It sounds like his status depends on the morning skate which - as I'm late writing this - should have already happened.Has anyone heard the latest?UPDATE: Dater reports Sakic is doubtful and the Avalanche have recalled T.J. Hensick.This cloud could have a silver lining. If Hensick shows he's ready for the big leagues, it could make a certain someone expendable.We can keep hoping, right?Home sweet homeTonight will also be a chance for Francois Giguere to come face-to-face with his bonehead move of the offseason - bringing in Darcy Tucker to replace Andrew Brunette.Brunette: 11 games - 4 goals, 4 assistsTucker: 12 games - 1 goal, 3 assistsAnd let's not get started on the character that Brunette brought to the locker room as noted in this DP article.Is it too late to start a grassroots "Bring back Bruno" petition?Comment issuesApparently some folks are having trouble posting comments on the site. I've added a poll to see how many people are having troubles. If it's more than just a couple people, I'll roll back to the old, sucky comment system until things start working again. Come on, Google! Roll out a solid, working embedded comment system. It's been a long time coming.Game timeThe puck drops at 9:00 ET, 7:00 MT, 8 CBLT (crazy backwards land time) Are you having trouble commenting on the site? ( polls)Related LinksPre-game video: Paul StastnyPre-game video: Ian LaperrierePre-game video: Tony GranatoAvalanche report: A crisis of identityBrunette hasn't missed a beat in Wild engagementThings you think about while trying to watch the U.S. election and five hockey games at the same time (ok, it's not related but it's still good reading)Source

Buffalo Sabres vs New Jersey Devils Monday preview on Versus

BUFFALO SABRES VS NJ DEVILS VERSUS PREVIEW - PHOTO JON SWENSON NJ'S MARTIN BRODEUR WILL MISS 1ST START IN 51 GAMES - PHOTO JON SWENSON Here is a brief analysis on Versus.com of the Buffalo Sabres vs New Jersey Devils game airing tonight at 4:00PM (PT): Without Brodeur, Devils Attempt to Quiet Vanek, Sabres By Jon SwensonNovember 3, 2008 Tonight will be one of those rare nights when Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur will not be between the pipes. Thanks to a bruised elbow suffered Saturday night against the Thrashers, Brodeur will not start against the Sabres on Versus. Thatâ??s unfortunate because Brodeur is quietly closing in on all-time career marks for wins (seven shy of Patrick Roy's 551), shutouts (five shy of Terry Sawchuk's 103) and games played (51 shy of Patrick Roy's 1029). The four-time Vezina Trophy winner and seven-time all-star could rightfully be considered the best goaltender to ever play the game. Brodeur's mix of athleticism, anticipation, superb positioning and mental focus make each opportunity to watch him a study in goaltending. On the transition from defense to offense, Brodeur operates like a third defenseman altering how teams set up their dump-ins and forecheck due to his ability to play the puck. The Devils will need a stingy performance from backup Kevin Weekes if goal support trends remain the same against Buffalo. New Jersey has scored two goals or less in three of its five wins and no more than a pair in two of four losses. Conversely, the Sabres have had ample offense to spread around. Left wing Thomas Vanek leads the/nhl in goal scoring with 11, and the Sabres have scored three goals or more in five of six wins. The key for tonightâ??s game is for Weekes to play well and get help from his teammates. Support from the forwards is a must and if the Devils contain a potent Buffalo attack, they will have an opportunity to grind out a win. Brodeur is not the only hobbled Devil. Defenseman Andy Greene was struck by a Pavel Kubina shot Wednesday and will miss up to six weeks with a broken hand. Brian Rolston (ankle sprain), Bobby Holik (broken finger), Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond and Barry Tallackson join him on the injured list. The Sabres, meanwhile, are seeing a steady stream of players return to the lineup from IR. Center Paul Gaustad and defenseman Henrik Tallinder returned for a 5-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday. Defenseman and captain Craig Rivet skated for the first time since having knee surgery while centers Tim Connolly and Jochen Hecht are also skating with the team and could return shortly. Rivetâ??s knee injury does raise an issue of age on the blue line for the Sabres. According to age and weight data compiled by the Globe and Mail's James Mirtle, the Sabres ice the oldest defensive corps in the/nhl with an average age of 32.1. Youth abounds up front, however, with 24-year-old Thomas Vanek, 29-year old shifty right wing Maxim Afinogenov and 29-year old Czech right wing Ales Kotalik leading the Sabresâ?? offense. Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff cites increased ice time, better movement without the puck, and more responsibility on defense leading to the marked improvement in Vanek's game this season. After career highs of 43 goals and 41 assists in 2006-07, his production fell to 36 and 28 last season. Still, he received an offer sheet from the Edmonton Oilers that forced the Sabres to sign the fourth-year/nhler to a monster 7-year, $50-million contract. Defense wins championships, and on this night New Jersey will have to find a way to keep the Sabres off the scoreboard without their great goaltender. Jon Swenson has been blogging about the Sharks and the/nhl on Sharkspage.com since 1998. His writing and photographs have appeared in several print and online publications. This is my first contribution to Versus.com, although a couple of photos from this blog were used on OLN.com. Other bloggers contributing to Versus this season will be Mike Chen of Fox Sports and Kukla's Corner, Deadspin offshoot Melt Your Face Off, HLOG, and Bryan Thiel from the Bleacher Report. Yahoo.com's Greg Wyshynski talks with former ESPN.com and AOL Sports executive editor and current Versus VP of digital media Neal Scarbrough about encorporating bloggers into Versus.com/nhl coverage and a potential new direction for the site: After years of criticism, Versus plans courtship of die-hard fans. The New Jersey Devils will make 6 appearances on Versus this season, 11/3 vs Buffalo, 12/23 vs Boston, 12/30 at St. Louis, 2/9 vs NYR, 3/23 at Philadelphia, 3/30 at NYR. The Buffalo Sabres appear on Versus 8 times this season. After a 3-2 shootout win over Boston on 10/21, Buffalo will be featured 7 more times including 11/3 at New Jersey, 12/8 at Pittsburgh, 12/22 vs Pittsburgh, 2/17 at Toronto, 2/24 vs Anaheim, 3/10 at Philadelphia, and 4/6 vs Detroit. [Update] Martin joins Devils' growing injury list; no update on Brodeur - Rich Chere for the New Jersey Star-Ledger. [Update2] Kotalik muscles way to top line, Right winger playing with Vanek and Roy - John Vogl for the Buffalo News. â??Heâ??s a powerful man, by far, maybe our strongest all-around player when it comes to off-ice strength and on-ice strength,â? coach Lindy Ruff said. Kotalikâ??s strength is more evident this year. How strong is he? Well, so far, heâ??s lifted two teammates and put them in other spots. Kotalik had been playing so well at right wing that the coaching staff had little choice but to move Maxim Afinogenov, a lifelong right winger, to the left side. Now itâ??s Drew Stafford whoâ??s been carried elsewhere. The slumping forward had been on the top line with Derek Roy and Thomas Vanek. But Kotalik, with eight points in the first 11 games, has risen to the No. 1 unit while dropping Stafford down to the third line. [Update3] A Record the Injured Brodeur Will Not Break - Adrian Dater for Versus.com.Source

No Talbot tonight - 10-28-08

Maxime Talbot (above) is not expected to play tonight in San Jose due to an undisclosed injury. Paul Bissonnette will take his place in the lineup. Hal Gill who has missed the past two games due to a hand injury is also expected not to play tonight.(Photo: Talbot-Doug Benc/Getty Images)EMPTY NETTER ASSISTSNortheast Division-Senators forward and former Penguin Jarkko Ruutu is a joke apparently. Just ask Sabres forward Adam Mair who tried to confront Ruutu in the bowels of HSBC Arena last night.(Please visit the site to view this media)Source