User Rating: / 0
PoorBest 

Thursday, 05 January 2012 08:12

Written by Seth Rorabaugh

Penguins

-Injuries have hurt the Penguins' chances for the All-Star Lame Game.

-Brad Thiessen made 18 saves for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in a 5-1 loss to the Norfolk Admirals.

-Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins defenseman Simon Despres and forward Colin McDonald were selected for the AHL's all-star game.

-Happy 54rth birthday to former Penguins forward Jiri Hrdina (right). Acquired midway through the 1990-91 season in a deal which sent Jim Kyte to the Flames, Hrdina spent parts of two seasons in Pittsburgh. While acting as a mentor to fellow Czechoslovakian Jaromir Jagr during his rookie season, the veteran Hrdina appeared in 37 games for the Penguins in 1990-91 and contributed 20 points. In the 1991 postseason, Hrdina saw action in 14 games and scored four points while helping the club claim its first Stanley Cup championship. Hrdina's final NHL season was 1991-92. He played in 56 games for the Penguins and recorded 16 points. In the postseason, Hrdina appeared in 21 games and recorded two points as the club successfully defended its title. He retired in the 1992 offseason. In 93 career regular season games for the Penguins, Hrdina scored 36 points. In 36 career postseason games, he scored six points. Hrdina currently serves as an amateur scout with the Dallas Stars.

-Happy 28th birthday to former Penguins defenseman Corey Potter. A free agent signing in the 2010 offseason, Potter's Penguins' career amounted to one game and no points in 2010-11. This past offseason, he joined the Oilers as a free agent.

Atlantic Division

-Rangers coach John Tortorella was fined $30,000 for criticizing the Winter Classic officiating. Following the game, Tortorella suggested the NHL and NBC colluded to make the game more competitive in the third period.

-With forward Travis Zajac dealing with an Achilles tendon ailment, the Devils recalled forward Steve Zalewski from Albany of the AHL.

Northeast Division

-Patrice Bergeron scored two goals for the Bruins in a 6-1 rout of the Devils. David Krejci added a goal and an assist for Boston while teammates Milan Lucic and Dennis Seidenberg each recorded two assists. Tim Thomas made 31 saves in the win.

-Defensive Play of the Night: Bergeron blocking a shot and zipping up ice on a breakaway:

-Fight of the Night: New Jersey's Cam Janssen versus Boston's Shawn Thornton:

-Happy times for Thomas and teammate Brad Marchand:

-Thomas kept an eye on this puck:

-Four goals and an assist by Lars Eller lifted the Canadiens to a 7-3 defeat of the Jets. Travis Moen recorded three assists for Montreal while teammates Erik Cole and Andrei Kostitsyn each collected two assists. Carey Price made 24 saves in the victory. Blake Wheeler had a goal and an assist for Winnipeg.

-Eller's hat trick plus one:

-Someone threw a sex toy on the ice to celebrate Eller's hat trick goal.

-“I figure I had nothing to lose because we were going to win the game. I’ve seen a lot of guys take penalty shots this season and I figured it was worth a try.” - Eller on the move for his penalty shot goal.

-Eller being good people:

-Two former Penguins - Montreal's Hal Gill and Winnipeg's Chris Thorburn - got into a fight:

-Sabres defenseman Tyler Myers is expected to return to the lineup Friday. He has been sidelined since Nov. 19 due to a broken wrist.

-Senators defenseman Chris Phillips is day to day due to a "mild" concussion.

Southeast Division

-Capitals forward Nicklas Backstrom is day to day due to a suspected head injury.

-The Panthers officially signed former Wild forward John Madden to a one-year contract. Financial teams were not announced. In 76 games last season, Madden scored 25 points (12 goals, 13 assists).

-With goaltender Jose Theodore dealing with a suspected knee injury, the Panthers recalled goaltender Jacob Markstrom from San Antonio of the AHL and demoted goaltender Brian Foster to San Antonio.

-The Hurricanes demoted defenseman Derek Joslin and forward Zac Dalpe to Charlotte of the AHL.

Central Division

-The NHL suspended Blackhawks forward Daniel Carcillo seven games for an illegal hit on Oilers defenseman Tom Gilbert Monday:

-The Blackhawks recalled defenseman Dylan Olsen and forward Andrew Shaw from Rockford of the AHL and placed forward Marcus Kruger (concussion) and defenseman Steve Montador ("upper body") on injured reserve.

-Blue Jackets forward Derek Dorsett accused Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin of spitting in his face Tuesday. The alleged incident occured during a skirmish between the two:

-The Red Wings recalled former Penguins forward Chris Conner from Grand Rapids of the AHL and demoted forward Joakim Andersson to Grand Rapids.

-If you can imagine such a thing, an NHL team is being less than up front about a player's recovery about a concussion. The Predators haven't offered much information about captain Shea Weber's head injury.

Northwest Division

-Roberto Luongo made 28 saves for the Canucks in a 3-0 shutout of the Wild. Daniel Sedin had a goal and an assist for Vancouver while captain Henrik Sedin recorded two assists.

-Luongo being good people:

-The win moved the Canucks, the defending Presidents' Trophy champion, into first place in the NHL's overall standings.

-The Canucks demoted forward Byron Bitz to Chicago of the AHL.

-Flames forward Rene Bourque was suspended five games for a hit to the head of Capitals forward Nicklas Backstrom Tuesday:

-The Flames recalled forward forward Raitis Ivanans from Abbotsford of the AHL and demoted defenseman Brett Carson and forward Greg Nemisz to Abbotsford.

Pacific Division

-Antti Niemi made 31 saves for the Sharks in a 3-1 defeat of the rival Ducks. Anaheim has lost three consecutive games.

-Anaheim's Jonas Hiller lost track of this puck:

-Ducks forward Jason Blake returned to the lineup for the first time since suffering a laceration on his left wrist Oct. 14.

-The Stars activated defenseman Stephane Robidas ("lower body") from injured reserve and demoted defenseman Brenden Dillon to Texas of the AHL.

IIHF World Junior Championships

-Penguins forward prospect Dominik Uher had a goal and an assist for the Czech Republic which defeated rival Slovakia, 5-2.

-Stars goaltending prospect Jack Campbell made 20 saves for the United States in a 2-1 win against Switzerland.

-A goal by Oilers forward prospect Kristians Pelss led Latvia to a 2-1 win against Denmark.

-Canada defenseman and Penguins prospect Scott Harrington is expected to miss today's bronze medal game due to a suspected shoulder ailment.

Smythe Division

-Former Devils/Kings/Thrashers/Stars/Flyers defenseman Jaroslav Modry has joined HC Plzen of the Czech Extraliga.

(Photos: Hrdina-Penguins Hockey Cards; Bruins/Devils-Paul Bereswill/Getty Images and Bill Kostroun/Associated Press; Jets/Canadiens-Paul Chiasson/Canadian Press; Wild/Canucks-Darryl Dyck/Canadian Press; Sharks/Ducks-Jae C. Hong/Associated Press)

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed