***** National Hockey League Previews from The Sports Network *****
Thursday, February 26
(All times Eastern)
VANCOUVER CANUCKS (35-22-3) AT BUFFALO SABRES (18-38-5), 7 P.M.
(SportsNetwork.com) - The Vancouver Canucks hope to complete their road trip
with a third straight victory when they visit the Buffalo Sabres for
Thursday's encounter at First Niagara Center.
The Canucks have won four of five overall and own a 3-1-0 mark on a five-game
trek that ends tonight in Western New York. Vancouver is leading the NHL in
road victories this season, posting an impressive 19-11-2 mark away from
Rogers Arena.
The club's lone loss on this swing came Friday in New Jersey, but the Canucks
have answered by beating the New York Islanders and Boston Bruins. After
downing the Islanders 4-0 on Sunday, Vancouver edged the Bruins by a 2-1 count
in Tuesday's meeting at TD Garden.
Eddie Lack played a huge role in Tuesday's win, turning aside 40 shots to
anchor the close victory.
"I mean it was a busy night," said Lack. "But it felt like we kept them a lot
to the outside. So it was a good overall effort from everyone."
With Ryan Miller expected to be out with a lower-body injury for the next
several weeks, Lack is the team's de facto No. 1 option in net and he is
expected to start again tonight.
Ryan Stanton and Zack Kassian scored for the Canucks. Kassian has registered a
goal in three straight games, posting four of his nine markers this season
during the run.
Vancouver enters tonight with 73 points, three ahead of the Los Angeles Kings
for second place in the Pacific Division. The club hopes to at least keep that
distance tonight when it aims for a fourth straight win in the series against
Buffalo.
The Kings, who have won eight straight, host the Ottawa Senators on Thursday.
Buffalo is still sitting at the very bottom of the NHL standings, but the club
did pick up a win Tuesday in Columbus and has not been an easy opponent to
face in recent weeks.
The Sabres have seen eight of their last nine games decided by just one goal
and they own a 2-1-2 mark over the past five trips to the ice.
However, Buffalo has lost five straight on home ice and is 11-18-3 at First
Niagara Center this season. The Sabres have recorded five wins over the last
seven home encounters versus the Canucks.
Michal Neuvirth undoubtedly has been Buffalo's best player over the last
several games and the goaltender made 45 saves to help the Sabres beat the
Blue Jackets, 4-2, on Tuesday. Neuvirth has averaged nearly 40 saves a game
over his last four trips to the ice and is 2-1-1 in those outings.
"Always focusing on the next shot. Always in my head, playing the game like
it's 0-0," Neuvirth said of his mindset.
Neuvirth will likely get the call again tonight and is 0-2 with a 4.22 goals
against average in his career versus the Canucks.
Zemgus Girgensons recorded a goal and an assist for Buffalo before hurting
himself on a blocked shot. Cody Hodgson, Mark Pysyk and Chris Stewart also lit
the lamp for the Sabres.
Girgensons is expected to be sidelined for a considerable amount of time, and
possibly the remainder of the season. Fellow forward Tyler Ennis also left
Tuesday with an undisclosed injury and is not expected to play tonight.
ARIZONA COYOTES (20-34-7) AT NEW YORK RANGERS (37-16-6), 7 P.M.
(SportsNetwork.com) - The New York Rangers look to keep rolling without Henrik
Lundqvist when they host the Arizona Coyotes in Thursday's battle at Madison
Square Garden.
The Rangers boast an impressive 8-1-2 record over the last 11 games, all of
which have been played without Lundqvist, who is sidelined with a vascular
injury. Cam Talbot has done the lion's share of the work without Lundqvist's
services and the backup improved to 7-1-2 with an impressive shutout victory
in Tuesday's 1-0 win over visiting Calgary.
Talbot helped New York earn a point for the ninth straight game (7-0-2) by
stopping all 21 shots sent his way by the Flames.
Kevin Hayes scored the game's only goal early in the third period. Hayes,
bumped to the Rangers' top line in place of an injured Rick Nash, broke a
scoreless deadlock three minutes into the third, sending a one-timer past
Calgary goalie Karri Ramo.
"I didn't even know (of moving to the top line) until I got to the rink before
the game," Hayes said. "I'm nothing like Rick Nash, but I was lucky enough to
get a goal out there."
Nash, second in the league with 37 goals, was scratched during warmups due to
neck spasms. He is questionable for tonight's game.
Talbot is expected to start again tonight for the Rangers, who are closing a
three-game homestand.
New York enters Thursday second in the Metropolitan Division with 80 points
and can tie the idle New York Islanders for the top spot this evening.
Arizona is well outside of the playoff picture in the Western Conference and
doesn't seem motivated to play a spoiler role at the moment.
The Coyotes enter tonight on a seven-game losing streak and have failed to
gain a single point during the slide. The current skid matches a 0-5-2 streak
from Jan. 10-27 for the club's longest drought of the season, but this one is
clearly worse as it consists entirely of regulation losses.
Arizona lost its most recent tilt by a 5-1 score Tuesday when it visited the
New York Islanders. The game was tied at 1-1 after 40 minutes before the home
team blew it open with a four-goal third period.
Mark Arcobello scored the lone goal for the Coyotes, while Mike Smith gave up
all five goals on 39 shots.
"It's embarrassing. I've never been so embarrassed as I have been this year to
walk into arenas," Smith said. "I've had enough of it. It's simple plays that
have to be made. When they don't get made and come back in your net, it's
frustrating.
Arizona has lost two straight to begin a four-game trip and has dropped four
in a row as the guest. The Coyotes will complete the swing Saturday in Boston.
The Rangers have won two in a row and five of the last six meetings with the
Coyotes. They recorded a 5-1 win in Arizona on Feb. 14. New York also has won
the last five encounters at MSG, where the Coyotes haven't won since Dec. 16,
2007.
Arizona prospect Henrik Samuelsson could make his NHL debut tonight after
being recalled Wednesday from Portland of the American Hockey League.
Samuelsson, a first-round pick (27th overall) by the Coyotes in 2012, is the
son of former NHLer Ulf Samuelsson, who played over 1,000 career games with
several teams, including the Rangers.
MONTREAL CANADIENS (39-16-5) AT COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS (26-29-4), 7 P.M.
(SportsNetwork.com) - The Montreal Canadiens hope to extend their lead atop
the Atlantic Division when they take aim at a third straight win in Thursday's
road clash against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The Canadiens lead the division by three points over the idle Tampa Bay
Lightning and enter tonight coming off consecutive wins. Montreal also has
claimed a point in nine of its last 10 trips to the ice, going 7-1-2 during
that stretch.
Thursday's tilt marks the second meeting between the Blue Jackets and Habs in
less than a week. Montreal hosted Columbus last Saturday and notched a 3-1 win
behind a two-goal performance from Max Pacioretty. The Canadiens can sweep the
three-game season series with another win tonight.
Montreal is 4-1-1 in six all-time trips to Columbus. The Canadiens have won
four of their last five away from home to boost their road record this season
to 18-9-1.
After downing the Blue Jackets last weekend, the Habs posted a 5-2 win Tuesday
night in St. Louis. Alex Galchenyuk, who had missed the previous two games due
to flu-like symptoms, posted two goals and an assist to lead Montreal past the
Blues.
Brendan Gallagher had two goals while Michael Bournival also scored for the
Canadiens. Carey Price turned away 27 shots in the win.
"We're a very confident team when we go into an opposing team's building and
we wind up playing the right way," Price said.
Price is expected to start again tonight and is 4-3-1 with a 2.48 goals
against average in his career against Columbus.
The Blue Jackets have damaged their already slim playoff chances with a 0-2-1
slide that includes Tuesday's 4-2 home loss to the Buffalo Sabres, who are
last in the NHL standings. Columbus sits 11 points out of a playoff spot in
the East.
Michal Neuvirth made 45 saves to frustrate the Columbus offense, which
received its only goals from Kevin Connauton and Matt Calvert after falling
behind 2-0 in the opening period.
"The first two goals took some of the wind out of our sails," Blue Jackets
head coach Todd Richards said.
Columbus netminder Anton Forsberg remained winless in four career starts
between the pipes. The 22-year-old rookie from Sweden allowed all four goals
on 31 shots.
No. 1 netminder Sergei Bobrovsky is nearing a return from a groin injury, but
Curtis McElhinney will start tonight with Oscar Dansk serving as the backup.
Forsberg was reassigned to the Springfield Falcons of the American Hockey
League.
Bobrovsky, meanwhile, remains day-to-day. He hasn't played since Jan. 21.
The Blue Jackets are playing the middle test of a three-game homestand tonight
and will cap the stay at Nationwide Arena this Saturday against New Jersey.
Columbus is 12-15-2 as the host this season.
PHILADELPHIA FLYERS (26-24-11) AT TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (24-31-5), 7:30 P.M.
(SportsNetwork.com) - The Philadelphia Flyers will try to rebound from a
costly loss when they visit the Toronto Maple Leafs for Thursday's matchup at
Air Canada Centre.
The Flyers sit four points behind Boston for the final wild card spot in the
Eastern Conference, but that margin could be two points if Philly was able to
beat the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday. The Bruins dropped a regulation
decision to Vancouver that night, while the Flyers fell 4-1 in a lackluster
road effort.
"I'm baffled," Philadelphia head coach Craig Berube said after the loss. "We
didn't execute very well at all and lacked energy in the game."
Nicklas Grossmann accounted for the Flyers' lone score and Rob Zepp made 31
saves against Carolina, which is second from the bottom in the East standings.
The setback marked just the second regulation loss for Philadelphia in its
last 14 games, as the club fell to 8-2-4 over that span.
Berube is hoping for a better effort tonight when his club tries to complete a
sweep of the three-game season series with Toronto. The Flyers have won three
straight overall against the Maple Leafs and have taken seven of the past nine
encounters at Air Canada Centre.
Zepp is expected to start again tonight with rookie goaltender Anthony Stolarz
serving as the backup.
Philadelphia's top two goaltending options are unavailable as Ray Emery
recently joined No. 1 netminder Steve Mason on the shelf. Emery is out with a
lower-body injury, while Mason, who has missed the last eight games with a
knee injury, is nearing a return to action. The Flyers have targeted
Saturday's home tilt against the rival New York Rangers as a possible return
date for Mason.
Defenseman Kimmo Timonen also could go Saturday versus the Rangers. Timonen
has not played this season due to blood clots in his legs and lungs.
The Maple Leafs, meanwhile, expect to have defenseman Dion Phaneuf back
tonight after he missed the last 12 games with a hand injury. Phaneuf has two
goals and 20 assists in 48 contests this season and is leading the club in
average ice time with 23 minutes, 5 seconds per game.
However, Toronto will move on without forward Daniel Winnik, who was traded to
Pittsburgh on Wednesday for Zach Sill and a pair of draft picks. Winnik had
seven goal and 25 points in 58 games with the Maple Leafs this season, while
Sill, a 26-year-old forward, has a goal and three points in 42 contests.
Toronto is well outside the playoff picture in the East and expects to be
sellers before Monday's trade deadline arrives. The Leafs picked up a second-
round draft pick in 2015 for Winnik and a fourth-rounder in 2015.
The Leafs has been idle since ending a five-game slide (0-4-1) with Saturday's
4-3 overtime win over visiting Winnipeg. James van Riemsdyk scored the game-
winning goal late in OT, while Winnik and Nazem Kadri each tallied a goal and
an assist in regulation.
Leo Komarov also lit the lamp and Morgan Rielly supplied two helpers for the
Maple Leafs, who entered the game with losses in 16 of their last 17. Jonathan
Bernier made 31 saves in the win.
Toronto is 17-13-0 as the home club this season.
CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS (36-20-5) AT FLORIDA PANTHERS (36-31-13), 7:30 P.M.
(SportsNetwork.com) - The Chicago Blackhawks will begin life without superstar
winger Patrick Kane when they visit the Florida Panthers on Thursday at BB&T
Center for the finale of a home-and-home series.
Kane was placed on long-term injured reserve after suffering an upper-body
injury in Tuesday's 3-2 shootout win over the visiting Panthers. The ailment
is believed to be a shoulder issue and it could keep the crafty forward out of
the lineup for 12 weeks.
Kane, who is tied for the league lead in points with 64, was injured at 7:49
of the first period on Tuesday. He was cross-checked in the lower back by
Florida defenseman Alex Petrovic, stumbled and fell awkwardly into the boards,
with his left shoulder appearing to absorb most of the impact.
Petrovic, who received a two-minute minor penalty on the play, will not face a
disciplinary hearing for the hit.
Kane is leading the Blackhawks with 27 goals and 37 assists. The Buffalo, N.Y.
native won the Conn Smythe Trophy when Chicago won its most recent Stanley Cup
title in 2013.
Chicago is currently sitting in good position to make the playoffs with 77
points, which places it third in the Central Division and three behind St.
Louis. The Blackhawks also are four points ahead of Winnipeg, the fourth-place
team in the division and holder of the first wild card spot in the West.
Although marred by Kane's injury, the Blackhawks were able to halt a three-
game slide with the recent win over the Panthers. Jonathan Toews and Patrick
Sharp each scored during the shootout.
Kris Versteeg and Toews each lit the lamp during regulation for the
Blackhawks, while rookie Scott Darling made 34 saves and stopped both Florida
skaters in the shootout to earn the win.
Corey Crawford, who is 0-2-1 over his last three outings, could return to
the crease tonight for Chicago. He is 3-1-0 with a 1.88 goals against average
in his career versus the Panthers.
The Blackhawks are playing the first of two straight games on consecutive days
and will visit Tampa Bay on Friday.
Florida, which is battling for a playoff spot in the East, hopes to end a six-
game losing streak in the series against the Blackhawks tonight. The Panthers
haven't won in this matchup since March 8, 2011 and Chicago has claimed the
past two meetings in South Florida.
Jussi Jokinen and Vincent Trocheck each scored late goals for the Panthers on
Tuesday and Roberto Luongo turned aside 36 shots in the loss.
"We don't give up, we stay on it. It's a huge point for our team," Luongo
said.
The Panthers are two points in back of Boston for the last wild card spot in
the East. The Bruins are idle on Thursday.
Luongo is expected to start again tonight and is 15-11-3 with a 2.22 GAA in
his career against the Blackhawks.
ST. LOUIS BLUES (38-18-4) AT WINNIPEG JETS (31-20-11), 8 P.M.
(SportsNetwork.com) - The St. Louis Blues will try to shake off a rough
homestand on Thursday night when they begin a five-game road trip versus the
Winnipeg Jets.
The Blues lost three of four on their recent residency, falling 5-2 to the
Montreal Canadiens in Tuesday's finale. St. Louis' current slump has dropped
it nine points behind the first-place Nashville Predators in the Central
Division and just three ahead of the Chicago Blackhawks.
The Jets, owners of the first wild card spot in the Western Conference, are
four points in back of the Blackhawks for third place.
Jake Allen had a rough time in net versus the Canadiens, giving up all five
goals on 23 shots faced. T.J. Oshie had a goal and an assist in defeat, while
David Backes also scored.
"They made us pay and they sealed the game before we could really make that
push," Backes said.
St. Louis has won seven of its past eight on the road and figures to start
Brian Elliott in net tonight. He is 6-2-2 lifetime versus the Jets franchise
with a 2.98 goals against average and .894 save percentage in 11 games (10
starts).
The Jets will try to get on a roll tonight after they snapped a two-game slide
with Tuesday's 4-2 victory over the Dallas Stars. That win came in the opener
of a four-game homestand and saw Dustin Byfuglien score the game-winner early
in the third period.
Bryan Little, Adam Lowry and Michael Frolik also lit the lamp for the Jets,
while Michael Hutchinson made 26 saves.
"Good first (period), good third, didn't like the second," Jets coach Paul
Maurice said.
Forward Blake Wheeler did not play due to a lower-body injury, ending his
consecutive games played streak at 227, and he was placed on injured reserve
Wednesday after the Jets acquired forward Jiri Tlusty from the Carolina
Hurricanes.
Winnipeg sent a pair of draft picks to the Hurricanes for Tlusty, who could
debut tonight after notching 13 goals and 10 assists in 52 games with the
Hurricanes this season.
Hutchinson, meanwhile, has started four of the past five games in net for the
Jets and has never before faced St. Louis.
The Blues have won five in a row and eight of their past nine versus the Jets,
taking the first of five meetings this season 4-2 at Winnipeg on Nov. 23.
St. Louis is 4-0-1 in its past five on the road in this series.
MINNESOTA WILD (31-22-7) AT NASHVILLE PREDATORS (41-13-7), 8:30 P.M.
(SportsNetwork.com) - The Nashville Predators aim to secure a seventh straight
victory at home on Thursday night as they take on the playoff-hopeful
Minnesota Wild.
Nashville holds the best home record in the NHL at 26-3-1, having won 15 of
its past 16 games as the hosting club. The Predators improved on that mark
Tuesday, opening up a three-game homestand with a 5-2 win over the Colorado
Avalanche.
Craig Smith scored the go-ahead goal and Pekka Rinne made 18 saves as
Nashville improved to 8-1-1 over its past 10 games and leads the NHL with 89
points. Calle Jarnkrok, Roman Josi, Filip Forsberg and Eric Nystrom all lit
the lamp as well.
"I think it's been the strongest game that I can recall," Nashville head coach
Peter Laviolette said. "We seemed to have good jump."
The Predators have won their past three meetings with the Wild -- all in
Minnesota -- and have taken six of the past eight encounters in Nashville.
Rinne figures to start tonight and is a solid 11-4-2 lifetime versus the Wild
with a 2.12 goals against average, .923 save percentage and three shutouts in
18 games (16 starts).
While Nashville is on top of the NHL standings, the Wild are just on the
outside of the playoff picture, sitting one point behind the Calgary Flames
for the second wild card spot in the Western Conference. Minnesota lost ground
on Tuesday thanks to a 2-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers.
The Oilers got both of their goals in the first period off Devan Dubnyk and
the Wild were unable to get the equalizer despite 15 third-period shots.
Dubnyk made 17 saves in losing to the Oilers for the first time in six
meetings this season.
"We lost the game in large part because of our start," Wild coach Mike Yeo
said.
Thomas Vanek scored in the first period for the Wild, who had a six-game home
winning streak snapped and lost in regulation for only the second time in
their past 14 games (11-2-1).
Looking to bolster their playoff chances, the Wild acquired forward Sean
Bergenheim from the Florida Panthers on Wednesday not long before the start of
the game. Minnesota sent a 2016 third-round pick to the Panthers and also
received back a seventh-round selection in that draft along with Bergenheim,
who could debut tonight.
Bergenheim tallied eight goals and 10 assists over 39 games this season with
the Panthers.
"The emphasis for us was to find a proven guy, with some playoff experience, a
guy that's willing to compete, go to the net and pursue pucks. And Sean brings
all those attributes," said Wild general manager Chuck Fletcher on the Wild's
official website.
Dubnyk, meanwhile, figures to face a former club for the second game in a row.
He made two appearances with the Predators last season after being acquired
from the Oilers.
He is 4-3-2 in his career versus Nashville with a 2.34 GAA and .925 save
percentage in 10 games (9 starts).
OTTAWA SENATORS (25-23-10) AT LOS ANGELES KINGS (29-18-12), 10:30 P.M.
(SportsNetwork.com) - The surging Los Angeles Kings will attempt to match the
longest winning streak in club history on Thursday night and deal the Ottawa
Senators' playoff chances a bit of a blow.
The Kings have followed up a span of 10 losses in 12 games with a season-high
eight straight victories. That has put the defending champions into a tie for
third place in the Pacific Division with the Calgary Flames, though Los
Angeles holds the current tiebreaker with two games in hand.
Netminder Jonathan Quick has allowed only 13 goals during the winning streak
and posted 20 saves in Tuesday's 1-0 win over the Detroit Red Wings for his
fourth shutout of the season and 35th of his career.
Justin Williams scored the only goal of the game for Los Angeles, which won
nine straight from Jan. 21-Feb. 6, 2010.
"We took away time and space, we were good up-ice, and we were good through
the neutral zone," Quick said.
Not only are the Kings in the midst of an excellent run, but they also boosted
their blue line on Wednesday by acquiring 28-year-old Andrej Sekera from the
Carolina Hurricanes for defensive prospect Roland McKeown and a conditional
first-round draft pick.
If the Kings make the playoffs this season, the 'Canes will get a 2015 first-
round pick. If not, the selection will be in 2016.
It was a high price to play, but one surging Los Angeles felt it needed to
make as it finally filled the void created by Slava Voynov, who has been
suspended for the majority of the season due to his arrest on domestic
violence charges.
The puck-moving Sekera notched two goals and 17 assists in 57 games with
Carolina this season. He is slated to be an unrestricted free agent after the
season.
While not as impressive, the Senators also are in the middle of a solid run
that has improved their playoff chances. They have won three in a row and four
of their past five to get within seven points of the Boston Bruins for the
second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.
Goaltender Andrew Hammond has been the recent catalyst, winning each of his
first three NHL starts as he has been pressed into duty with Craig Anderson
and Robin Lehner both injured.
Hammond became the first player in team history to win each of his first three
starts in consecutive games after notching a 3-0 victory over the Anaheim
Ducks on Wednesday night.
Hammond made 25 saves to record his first NHL shutout.
"Obviously it's special. It's my first NHL shutout," said Hammond. "Anaheim's
one of the top teams in the league right now so to do it against them is
pretty cool."
Erik Condra, Mika Zibanejad and Kyle Turris all scored for the Senators, who
won the opener of a five-game road trip.
Ottawa faces a big test tonight as it has not won in Los Angeles since Jan.
11, 2000. The Kings are 6-0-0 with a tie at home in this series since.
The Kings also have won four in a row and 10 of the past 12 meetings overall,
including a 5-3 victory in Ottawa on Dec. 11.
That loss for the Sens came in Dave Cameron's head coaching debut. He had been
elevated from assistant coach following the firing of Paul McLean.
DETROIT RED WINGS (33-15-11) AT SAN JOSE SHARKS (30-23-8), 10:30 P.M.
(SportsNetwork.com) - Unable to get on track outdoors, the San Jose Sharks
hope to rebound on Thursday night as they play host to the Detroit Red Wings.
The Sharks are in action tonight for the first time since a 2-1 setback to the
Los Angeles Kings on Saturday night in the 2015 Stadium Series game. They got
a goal from Brent Burns in defeat, but also yielded the deciding tally early
in the third period.
Marian Gaborik's deciding marker for the Kings was a hard-earned effort as he
came off the bench, stripped Burns of the puck and slapped a shot through the
pads of Antti Niemi from the top of the left circle 4:04 into the final
stanza.
Niemi had 27 saves as the Sharks lost for the sixth time in eight games while
playing in front of 70,205 fans at Levi's Stadium.
"We made a couple mistakes. The last one on Gaborik's goal was disappointing
because we had talked about that exact situation," said Sharks head coach Todd
McLellan. "Playing a very aggressive north-south game. We wanted to eliminate
the neutral zone. It wasn't a good zone for us because the passes were ragged.
The puck was flopping all over, and whoever established a forecheck for any
given timeframe, two minutes at a time, had the advantage. We turned it over
and it was in our net. So I'm disappointed in that."
San Jose now sits two points out of a playoff spot, but does have recent
success over Detroit on its side tonight.
The Sharks have won four in a row and 10 of the past 12 meetings overall,
going 5-0-1 in the past six encounters at home.
Also, Niemi is an excellent 12-2-2 lifetime versus Detroit with a 1.64 goals
against average, .944 save percentage and three shutouts in 16 games (15
starts).
Detroit will be looking to rebound from a setback to Los Angeles as well,
falling 1-0 to the Kings on Tuesday.
Jonas Gustavsson played strong in the loss as he stopped 26 shots for the Red
Wings, who fell to 2-1-1 on a six-game road trip. They had lost a shootout in
Anaheim the previous night.
"Gus gave us an opportunity, and our guys battled hard. They're a good team
and we're a good team, there wasn't much room out there," Red Wings coach Mike
Babcock said.
Both Henrik Zetterberg and Kyle Quincey sat out a second game in a row and
both could also miss tonight's game as well. Zetterberg is dealing with a
suspected concussion after taking a blow to the head versus Dallas on
Saturday, while Quincey is dealing with bone chips in his ankle.
After Gustavsson made his first start since Nov. 5, Jimmy Howard is likely to
be back in net tonight. He is 3-6-4 with a 2.79 GAA and .910 save percentage
in 13 career meetings with the Sharks.
Just three points back of the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Atlantic Division,
the Red Wings own a 10-point edge for third place in the division standings.
