N H L - National Hockey League

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Devils' Wedgewood gets first NHL victory

 

Goalie makes 27 saves; New Jersey gets first win vs. Columbus this season

 

by Mike G. Morreale @mikemorrealeNHL / NHL.com staff writer

March 21st, 2016

NEWARK, N.J. -- The New Jersey Devils got another good look at what is turning out to be a promising future when goaltender Scott Wedgewood made 27 saves in his NHL debut in a 2-1 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Prudential Center on Sunday.

Wedgewood, a third-round pick (No. 84) in the 2010 NHL Draft, made 13 saves in the second period and six in the third when the Blue Jackets were scoreless on two power-play opportunities.

Devante Smith-Pelly and Reid Boucher scored for the Devils (35-31-7), who defeated the Blue Jackets for the first time in five tries this season.

"Over the years you don't want to think too much about [when this day would happen]," Wedgewood said. "You're always positive, and I'm a positive guy. I realized [Martin Brodeur] was good for a long time, and [Cory Schneider] has been doing amazing, and [Keith Kinkaid] was playing so well."

 

https://www.nhl.com/news/new-jersey-devils-columbus-blue-jackets-recap/c-279774350?tid=279723096

Edited March 21, 2016 by Guns of the Patriots

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Penguins defeat Capitals for sixth straight win

 

Rookie Kuhnhackl has goal, two assists; Pittsburgh scores four straight to pull away

 

by Wes Crosby / NHL.com Correspondent

March 21st, 2016

Kunitz's one-timer finds a way in WSH@PIT: Crosby feeds Kunitz for a one-timer

3/20/16: Chris Kunitz blasts a pass from Sidney Crosby that trickles through Braden Holtby and in, extending the Penguins' lead to three

 

PITTSBURGH -- Six Pittsburgh Penguins scored in a heated 6-2 win against the Washington Capitals at Consol Energy Center on Sunday.

The Penguins (40-24-8) prevented the Capitals (51-15-5) from clinching the Metropolitan Division title and the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Pittsburgh, which has won six games in a row and is tied with the New York Rangers for second place in the Metropolitan, scored four straight goals after Washington rallied to tie it 2-2 in the second period.

"You can define toughness a lot of different ways," Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. "I strongly believe we have a tough team."

With Pittsburgh leading 2-1, Penguins forward Bryan Rust and Capitals defenseman Mike Weber each was penalized for roughing at 13:04 of the second. Pittsburgh went on the power play with Washington forward Andre Burakovsky serving an additional roughing penalty against Weber.

 

https://www.nhl.com/news/pittsburgh-penguins-defeat-washington-capitals/c-279775418?tid=279723098

Edited March 21, 2016 by Guns of the Patriots

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Monahan scores twice, Flames top Canadiens

 

Forward has five goals, nine points in past six games; Backstrom wins first start this season

 

by Sean Farrell / NHL.com Correspondent

March 21st, 2016

Monahan tips in his 25th goal CGY@MTL: Hamilton feeds Monahan for a goal in the 2nd

3/20/16: Sean Monahan tips in the puck off Dougie Hamilton's pass, scoring a goal to extend the Flames' lead to 2-0

 

MONTREAL -- Sean Monahan and the Calgary Flames were determined to celebrate a victory after goalie Niklas Backstrom's first NHL game in 14 months.

Monahan had two goals and an assist, and Backstrom made 21 saves in his first game since Jan. 13, 2015 to lead Calgary to a 4-1 win against the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre on Sunday.

"It was huge," Monahan said. "He's worked so hard for us. He comes in every day like a pro and obviously that's a big win and we want to get that one for him."

Backstrom was acquired in a trade from the Minnesota Wild on Feb. 29.

 

https://www.nhl.com/news/calgary-flames-montreal-canadiens-recap/c-279777474?tid=279723100

Edited March 21, 2016 by Guns of the Patriots

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Wild defeat Blackhawks in shootout

 

Minnesota gets fourth win against Chicago this season

 

by Brian Hedger / NHL.com Correspondent

March 21st, 2016

Coyle's shootout winner MIN@CHI: Coyle scores lone shootout goal for the win

3/20/16: Charlie Coyle beats Scott Darling with a backhand move for the only goal in the shootout, winning the game for the Wild

 

CHICAGO -- The Minnesota Wild continued their success against the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday.

Charlie Coyle's goal in the first round decided the shootout and gave the Wild a 3-2 win at United Center, giving Minnesota (34-28-11) its fourth victory against Chicago (42-24-7) in as many games this season.

"It says a lot," Wild coach John Torchetti said in regards to the Wild sweeping a back-to-back set from the Blackhawks, winning each time in a shootout. "It says that [our guys] want it. Some people are questioning us that we want it, but not me. I think we want it."

Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Artemi Panarin were unable to beat Wild goalie Devan Dubnyk (29 saves) in the shootout.

 

https://www.nhl.com/news/minnesota-wild-chicago-blackhawks-recap/c-279782376?tid=279723102

Edited March 21, 2016 by Guns of the Patriots

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Landeskog returns, helps Avalanche top Oilers

 

Captain has goal, assist in first game back from suspension; Pickard makes 26 saves

 

by Derek Van Diest / NHL.com Correspondent

March 21st, 2016

Landeskog's beautiful goal COL@EDM: Landeskog opens the scoring in the 2nd

3/20/16: Gabriel Landeskog receives Carl Soderberg's feed and slips it into the net to open the scoring in the 2nd

 

EDMONTON -- Gabriel Landeskog had a goal and an assist in his return from a three-game suspension, and the Colorado Avalanche defeated the Edmonton Oilers 3-2 at Rexall Place on Sunday.

The Avalanche (38-31-4) lead the Minnesota Wild by one point for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference. The Wild defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 3-2 in a shootout Sunday to briefly take over the West's final playoff position.

Tyson Barrie and Blake Comeau scored for Colorado in its third consecutive win to end a four-game road trip.

"I felt good." Landeskog said. "It's tough watching, and I was hungry and ready to go. But the guys have done a great job throughout the road trip to make sure we're in a great spot, and I was just hungry to come out and help out."

 

https://www.nhl.com/news/colorado-avalanche-defeat-edmonton-oilers/c-279783040?tid=279723104

Edited March 21, 2016 by Guns of the Patriots

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Reimer leads Sharks past Coyotes

 

San Jose goalie makes 25 saves against Arizona for second shutout

 

by Eric Gilmore / NHL.com Correspondent

March 21st, 2016

SAN JOSE -- The San Jose Sharks' trade for goaltender James Reimer continued paying dividends at SAP Center on Sunday.

Reimer had a 25-save shutout, and the Sharks defeated the Arizona Coyotes 3-0, winning for the fourth time in five games.

Reimer, who made his fourth start in place of No. 1 goaltender Martin Jones since coming to San Jose from the Toronto Maple Leafs on Feb. 27, had his second shutout of the season, each with the Sharks; he made 31 saves in a 3-0 win against the Edmonton Oilers on March 8. Reimer is 3-1-0 with San Jose.

"He was really solid," Sharks coach Peter DeBoer said of Reimer. "I thought we did a good job in front of him, letting him see most shots, but he made a couple big saves too at the right time. That's a great luxury to have, both guys playing the way they are right now."

 

https://www.nhl.com/news/san-jose-sharks-james-reimer-arizona-coyotes/c-279783908?tid=279723106

Edited March 21, 2016 by Guns of the Patriots

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Nash, Rangers defeat Panthers

 

Forward scores first goal since Dec. 30; Lundqvist makes 25 saves

 

by Dan Rosen @drosennhl / NHL.com Senior Writer

11:52 AM

Nash beats Montoya five-hole FLA@NYR: Nash buries Klein's feed to pad lead

3/21/16: Rick Nash fires a feed from Kevin Klein through the legs of Al Montoya to pad the Rangers' lead to two goals in the 3rd

 

NEW YORK -- The good New York Rangers showed up at Madison Square Garden on Monday, roughly 48 hours after the bad Rangers left San Jose with a frustrating loss that prompted a players-only meeting.

The Rangers won't play too far into the spring if they stay as bipolar as they have been of late. That's why they're hoping their 4-2 win at home against the Florida Panthers is the start of a strong late-season push toward a long run in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

"It was great to see the way we responded as a group after last game," Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist said. "It also shows how much focus to details, determination, how much it can change the look out there. Going from last game to this game, it's like two different teams."

Last game, a 4-1 loss at the San Jose Sharks, was an exercise in futility for the Rangers. They broke down far too often in front of Lundqvist, allowing three goals in the third period and 52 shots in total. They had 26.

 

https://www.nhl.com/news/new-york-rangers-rick-nash-defeat-florida-panthers/c-279798092?tid=279725164

Edited March 22, 2016 by Guns of the Patriots

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Flyers hand Islanders fourth straight loss

 

Philadelphia moves within one point of second wild card in Eastern Conference

 

by David Satriano @davidsatriano / NHL.com Staff Writer

11:27 AM

NEW YORK -- Brandon Manning's first NHL goal proved to be the game-winner and the Philadelphia Flyers moved within a point of a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a 4-1 victory against the New York Islanders at Barclays Center on Monday.

Philadelphia (35-24-12), which is 11-3-2 in its past 16 games, is one point behind the Detroit Red Wings for the second wild card in the Eastern Conference with one game in hand. They are three points behind the Islanders for the first wild card with the same number of games played.

Manning gave the Flyers a 2-1 lead at 13:01 of the second period for his first goal in 66 games. He sped into the offensive zone off a pass from former Islanders defenseman Andrew MacDonald and beat goalie Thomas Greiss over the shoulder with a wrist shot.

"It's been a long time coming. Your first [goal] everyone says you'll always remember it," Manning said. "I think the biggest thing was to be able to contribute in games like this, in situations like this. The biggest thing for our team was to win tonight."

 

https://www.nhl.com/news/philadelphia-flyers-hand-islanders-fourth-straight-loss/c-279799250?tid=279725166

Edited March 22, 2016 by Guns of the Patriots

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Nylander, Maple Leafs top Flames

 

Rookie forward scores winning goal, has two assists for first three-point game

 

by Mike Brophy / NHL.com Correspondent

11:35 AM

Nylander's snipe finds the net CGY@TOR: Nylander scores go-ahead goal in the 3rd

3/21/16: William Nylander fires a one-timer past Jonas Hiller to give the Maple Leafs the lead in the opening minute of the 3rd

 

TORONTO -- Make that back-to-back games as First Star for William Nylander.

The rookie center scored the game-winning goal and had two assists in the Toronto Maple Leafs' 5-2 win against the Calgary Flames at Air Canada Centre on Monday.

"I think our line played really well," Nyalnder said. "(Zach) Hyman was strong on the forecheck chasing down pucks and was strong in front of the net. PA (Parenteau) also made some great plays as well."

Nyalnder, who had a goal and an assist in Toronto's 4-1 win against the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday, scored the game-winner 29 seconds into the third period when he one-timed Jake Gardiner's feed past Calgary goaltender Jonas Hiller from 40 feet out.

"It was thanks to Hyman in front of the net," Nylander said. "I didn't really think the goalie saw anything on the shot. A lot of thanks to Hyman."

 

https://www.nhl.com/news/toronto-maple-leafs-william-nylander-defeat-calgary-flames/c-279799140?tid=279725168

Edited March 22, 2016 by Guns of the Patriots

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Johansen leads Predators past Kings

 

Nashville's Ryan Johansen gets goal, two assists in win against Los Angeles

 

by Robby Stanley / NHL.com Correspondent

11:56 AM

NASHVILLE -- Ryan Johansen had one goal and two assists to help the Nashville Predators to a 5-2 win against the Los Angeles Kings at Bridgestone Arena on Monday.

Johansen gave the Predators a 4-2 lead at 11:45 of the third period on a redirection. Defenseman Shea Weber took a wrist shot that was tipped by Johansen past Kings goaltender Jhonas Enroth.

"It's very special," Johansen said. "We've got a lot of young bodies in this room. I think when they go home tonight, they're going to look at the standings and the result tonight and say 'Wow, we beat one of the best teams in the League and a team that's talked about a lot as a Stanley Cup contender.' We definitely use it as confidence throughout our group in this room and maybe being the playoff matchup."

James Neal, Mike Fisher, Filip Forsberg and Roman Josi had goals for Nashville (37-23-13), who moved within four points of the Chicago Blackhawks for third place in the Central Division. Pekka Rinne made 28 saves.

 

https://www.nhl.com/news/johansen-helps-predators-defeat-kings/c-279800942?tid=279725170

Edited March 22, 2016 by Guns of the Patriots

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Stars defeat Blackhawks, clinch playoff berth

 

Fast start helps Dallas secure spot in postseason

 

by Brian Hedger / NHL.com Correspondent

11:15 AM

CHICAGO -- The Dallas Stars scored four first-period goals and clinched a spot in the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs with a 6-2 win against the Chicago Blackhawks at United Center on Tuesday.

The Stars (44-21-9), who hadn't qualified for the postseason since 2013-14, needed two points to clinch a playoff spot. They did it by defeating the Blackhawks (42-25-7) for the fourth time this season, in the finale of a five-game season series.

Dallas has won three straight games and is 6-1-2 in its past nine. The Stars took a 4-0 lead in the first period at United Center for the second straight game; they scored the first four goals of a 4-2 win on Feb. 11, paced by Patrick Eaves' hat trick.

Eaves scored in the first again Tuesday, along with Colton Sceviour and Vernon Fiddler, who scored twice. Radek Faksa scored for Dallas in the second and Cody Eakin scored into an empty net at 13:48 of the third. Kari Lehtonen made 30 saves.

 

https://www.nhl.com/news/stars-defeat-blackhawks-to-clinch-playoff-spot/c-279826334?tid=279768842

Edited March 23, 2016 by Guns of the Patriots

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Wild hold off Kings, regain second wild card in West

 

Dubnyk makes 38 saves to help Minnesota move ahead of Colorado

 

by Dan Myers / NHL.com Correspondent

11:44 AM

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Devan Dubnyk made 38 saves and the Minnesota Wild moved back into a wild card playoff position with a 2-1 win against the Los Angeles Kings at Xcel Energy Center on Tuesday.

Dubnyk, now 8-1-1 in his past 10 decisions, made 14 saves in the first, 11 in the second and 13 in the third to help Minnesota win its third straight game. The Wild (35-28-11) moved one point ahead of the Colorado Avalanche for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference. The Avalanche, who host Minnesota on Saturday, have a game on hand.

Erik Haula and Mikko Koivu scored goals for Minnesota. Tyler Toffoli had the only goal for Los Angeles, which limited the Wild to 17 shots on goal.

Los Angeles (44-24-5), first in the Pacific Division, has lost the first two games of a three-game trip that concludes against the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday. The Kings had won four in a row before losses on back-to-back nights at the Nashville Predators and the Wild.

 

https://www.nhl.com/news/minnesota-wild-defeat-los-angeles-kings/c-279827394?tid=279768732

Edited March 23, 2016 by Guns of the Patriots

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Canucks shut out for third consecutive game

 

Pavelec makes 28 saves; Jets end three-game slide

 

by Patrick Williams / NHL.com Correspondent

30 minutes ago

WINNIPEG -- The Vancouver Canucks were shut out for the third consecutive game, a 2-0 loss to the Winnipeg Jets at MTS Centre on Tuesday.

Adam Lowry put Winnipeg ahead 2:30 into the third period, Mark Scheifele scored into an empty net and Ondrej Pavelec made 28 saves to help the Jets end their three-game losing streak.

The Canucks (27-33-12) have been shut out for the past 228:00. They have not scored since 12:00 of the first period in a 3-1 loss against the Colorado Avalanche on March 16. Vancouver has scored three goals during a five-game losing streak.

"We didn't have a lot of chances tonight," Vancouver coach Willie Desjardins said, "but we have to capitalize on the ones we do get."

After allowing a season-high 50 shots in a 3-0 home loss to the St. Louis Blues on Saturday, the Canucks allowed 49 against Winnipeg.

 

https://www.nhl.com/news/winnipeg-jets-shut-out-vancouver-canucks/c-279824018?tid=279768626

Edited March 23, 2016 by Guns of the Patriots

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Lightning tied for first after win against Red Wings

 

Tampa Bay, Florida even in Atlantic Division standings

 

by Corey Long / NHL.com Correspondent

11:54 AM

TAMPA -- Steven Stamkos had a goal and an assist to help the Tampa Bay Lightning defeat the Detroit Red Wings 6-2 at Amalie Arena on Tuesday.

Erik Condra, Vladislav Namestnikov, Nikita Kucherov and Ondrej Palat scored for the Lightning (42-26-5), who moved into a first-place tie in the Atlantic Division with the Florida Panthers. Each team has nine games remaining.

Justin Abdelkader and Darren Helm scored for the Red Wings (36-26-11), who are tied with the Philadelphia Flyers for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference. The Flyers lost 3-2 in a shootout to the Columbus Blue Jackets but have a game in hand on Detroit.

"It was a full team effort and we want to play well at home," Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman said. "It was a tough road trip for us (2-2-0), but we had a couple days off to refocus and we came out strong."

 

https://www.nhl.com/news/tampa-bay-lightning-defeat-detroit-red-wings/c-279823044?tid=279768516

Edited March 23, 2016 by Guns of the Patriots

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Ovechkin, Capitals clinch No. 1 spot in East

 

Defeat Ottawa and will be Eastern Conference top seed in Stanley Cup Playoffs

 

by Chris Stevenson / NHL.com Correspondent

11:56 AM

Ovechkin's power-play tally WSH@OTT: Ovechkin pads the Capitals' lead with PPG

3/22/16: Alex Ovechkin slams the puck past the right pad of Craig Anderson for the power-play goal, putting the Capitals up by two in the 1st

 

OTTAWA -- The Washington Capitals clinched the top seed in the Eastern Conference for the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a 4-2 win against the Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Centre on Tuesday.

Mike Richards, Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and T.J. Oshie scored for the Capitals (52-15-5), who also won the Metropolitan Division and ended a three-game losing streak on the road.

Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby made 28 saves for his 44th win of the season. He needs four more victories to tie Martin Brodeur for the most wins in a season (48). Brodeur set the record with the New Jersey Devils in 2006-07.

The Capitals, coming off a 6-2 loss against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday, avoided losing back-to-back games in regulation for the first time this season.

 

https://www.nhl.com/news/washington-capitals-defeat-ottawa-senators/c-279822834?tid=279768506

Edited March 23, 2016 by Guns of the Patriots