Friday, Oct. 30, 2009

National Hockey League Game Capsules

Blake Wheeler tallied the go-ahead goal early in the third period and added an assist, while Tuukka Rask stopped all 19 shots to register his first shutout of the season, as the Boston Bruins blanked the Edmonton Oilers, 2-0, at TD Garden. Vladimir Sobotka also scored and added a helper for Boston, which was coming off a 2-1 loss to New Jersey on Thursday. Rask recorded his second career shutout in just his eighth NHL start. Nikolai Khabibulin turned aside 25-of-27 shots for the Oilers, who were unable to build off a 6-5 home shootout win over Detroit two days ago. Edmonton has dropped four of five overall.

Final Score: Philadelphia 6, Carolina 1

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - David Laliberte's first NHL game was a memorable one, as the rookie tallied a goal and an assist in Philadelphia's 6-1 win over Carolina at Wachovia Center. Laliberte was recalled from the AHL on Friday to replace the injured Daniel Briere, and he registered his first career goal early in the first period before adding an assist in the second. Braydon Coburn contributed two goals, while Scott Hartnell and Matt Carle each had a goal and two assists in the win. James van Riemsdyk added a goal and an assist for the Flyers, who finished October at 6-4-1. Ray Emery beat the Hurricanes for the second time this season by making 39 saves. Philadelphia's netminder posted a shutout on the road in his debut at Raleigh on October 2. Brandon Sutter scored the only goal for Carolina, which has lost eight straight games, the longest skid for the club since January 8-22, 2003. Should the Hurricanes lose their next contest, it would match a franchise record, set when the team played in Hartford during the 1982-83 season. Michael Leighton allowed six goals on 28 shots to take the loss.

Final Score: Atlanta 3, Ottawa 1

Ottawa, ON (Sports Network) - Ondrej Pavelec made 50 saves as the Atlanta Thrashers downed the Ottawa Senators, 3-1, at Scotiabank Place. Rich Peverley had a goal and an assist while Zach Bogosian and Maxim Afinogenov each lit the lamp for the Thrashers, who snapped a four-game losing streak. Mike Fisher scored the lone goal while Pascal Leclaire made 18 saves for the Senators, who have dropped four of their last five games.

Final Score: New Jersey 2, Tampa Bay 1 (SO)

Tampa, FL (Sports Network) - David Clarkson scored the lone goal in the shootout as the New Jersey Devils clipped Tampa Bay, 2-1, at St. Pete Times Forum. After Vincent Lecavalier opened the fourth round with an unsuccessful backhander, Clarkson closed out the contest by sliding a backhand past Lightning goaltender Antero Niittymaki. Travis Zajac tallied for the Devils, who finished October having won five of six overall and also improved to 7-0-0 on the road this season. Martin Brodeur, who needs just one shutout to tie Hall of Famer Terry Sawchuk for most all-time, got the win with 18 saves. Steven Stamkos picked up the lone score for the Lightning, who have dropped four of six. Niittymaki took the loss despite keeping his club in the game with 37 stops.

Final Score: NY Islanders 5, Buffalo 0

Uniondale, NY (Sports Network) - Martin Biron made 38 saves for his first shutout of the season and Jeff Tambellini recorded his first career hat trick as the New York Islanders downed the Buffalo Sabres, 5-0, at Nassau Coliseum. Richard Park had a goal and an assist while Josh Bailey also lit the lamp for the Islanders, who have won three straight. Ryan Miller started in net, but was pulled after giving up three goals on 16 shots for the Sabres, who had a four-game winning streak coming into the game. Patrick Lalime finished the game between the pipes and was charged with two goals on 14 shots.

Final Score: Montreal 5, Toronto 4 (SO)

Montreal, QC (Sports Network) - Mike Cammalleri notched the winning score in the shootout as Montreal blew a two-goal third-period lead but rebounded to top Toronto, 5-4, at Bell Centre. Cammalleri began the shootout by wristing a shot just under the crossbar. Lee Stempniak failed for Toronto then Scott Gomez put the Habs two up after a shot in a similar place as Cammalleri's. Tomas Kaberle's last-ditch effort for the Leafs was stopped to end the contest. Glen Metropolit, Guillaume Latendresse, Hal Gill and Roman Hamrlik notched a goal apiece for the Canadiens, who had dropped their previous two contests. Jaroslav Halak made 26 stops to post his fifth win of the season. Alexei Ponikarovsky tallied twice for the Maple Leafs, who fell for the fourth consecutive time beyond regulation and finished the first month of the season with a 1-7-4 record. Kaberle recorded a goal and three assists while Stempniak also scored in regulation. Vesa Toskala stopped 35 shots in the loss for Toronto, which suffered through its first one-win October since 1985.

Final Score: Minnesota 2, Pittsburgh 1

Pittsburgh, PA (Sports Network) - Niklas Backstrom made 34 saves to lead Minnesota over Pittsburgh, 2-1, at Mellon Arena. Kyle Brodziak and Eric Belanger notched first-period goals for the Wild, who have won two in a row and three of five. Pascal Dupuis provided the sole offense for the Penguins, who had won two in a row coming in. Marc-Andre Fleury took the loss, allowing both goals on only 15 shots.

Final Score: Nashville 4, Dallas 2

Nashville, TN (Sports Network) - Pekka Rinne made 27 saves to help the Nasvhille Predators take a 4-2 win over the Dallas Stars at Sommet Center. Shea Weber, Kevin Klein, Steve Sullivan and Patric Hornqvist each had a goal for the Predators, who have won four of their last five. Dan Hamhuis and Jean-Pierre Dumont each had two assists in the win. Brian Sutherby and Steve Ott each had a goal for the Stars, who have dropped their past two games. Alex Auld was charged with four goals on 33 shots in the loss.

Final Score: Florida 4, St. Louis 0

St. Louis, MO (Sports Network) - Tomas Vokoun stopped all 34 shots he faced for his first shutout of the season as Florida shut down St. Louis, 4-0, at Scottrade Center. Stephen Weiss, Cory Stillman, Dennis Seidenberg and Nathan Horton picked up the goals for the Panthers, who posted a better defensive effort than in Friday's wild 6-5 shootout win in Dallas. Chris Mason allowed three goals on 26 shots for the Blues, losers in three of their last four games.