By The numbers
1
Out of 2,415 games in Phoenix Coyotes/Winnipeg Jets franchise history, the number of hat tricks recorded by a defenceman. Ed Jovanovski managed the first Wednesday in a 4-3 win over the Nashville Predators, an achievement that also marked the first hat trick of his 979-game NHL career.
398
Career victories by the Detroit Red Wings Chris Osgood, who needs just two more to become the 10th goaltender in NHL history to crack the 400-victory plateau.
They said it:
"Next 15 years," Nikita Filatov - After finally being promoted to a scoring line by coach Scott Arniel, the Columbus Blue Jackets' erratic rookie (and former first-round draft choice) was asked how long he plans to stay there.
"When you have a team that's fearless, they're going to get in front of shots like that," Jonathan Toews The Chicago Blackhawks captain praises the New York Rangers, who blocked 33 shots in a 3-2 victory over the defending Stanley Cup champions this week. Needless to say, fearless and the Rangers are two words that haven't been used in the same sentence much in the recent past.
Around the rinks
Pierre-Marc Bouchard, who has been missing in NHL action for close to 100 games now, recovering from postconcussion symptoms, is inching closer to a return to the Minnesota Wild lineup. The talk now is that Bouchard will play a couple of rehab games with the team's AHL affiliate in Houston to get his conditioning up before attempting an NHL comeback. Bouchard's injury occurred in March of 2009, almost 18 months ago, and he got into all of 10 minutes 44 seconds of playing time in the 2009-10 season opener before he had to shut it down. The Wild's original plan - to play Bouchard on a second scoring line with then newly signed Martin Havlat - never materialized. Without a playmaking centre, Havlat has been searching for a role on the team since while Bouchard, a former first-round pick who averaged 60 points a season for the first three years coming out of the NHL lockout, is just looking to get his derailed career back on the rails, at the age of just 26.
The New York Islanders face a dilemma with goaltender Rick DiPietro, who gave up all seven goals on 32 shots against the Carolina Hurricanes the other night. DiPietro still has 10 years left on that record 15-year, $60 million (U.S.) contract he signed with the team coming out of the lockout and is back playing again after missing most of two years with knee injuries. The rust has shown this year (a 4.21 goals against average, a .854 save percentage). Meantime, Dwayne Roloson, even at 41, seems to be able to get the job done (2.40 GAA, .918 save percentage). Does it make sense for the Isles to shut down DiPietro for the time being, or plod on, and hope that there aren't more nights like the one he had against the Hurricanes? New York, after a fast early start, had lost five in a row heading into their game against the Ottawa Senators Thursday.
The Calgary Flames' turmoil in the Western Conference is matched only the Buffalo Sabres' in the East. Vézina Trophy-winning goalie Ryan Miller is hurt, $4.5-million centre Tim Connolly is getting booed, and the Sabres, the defending Northeast Division champions, are fighting it out, tooth and nail, with the New Jersey Devils for the title of most disappointing team in the first month of the season. Miller's goaltending often masks other team deficiencies, and you'd think that once Jason Pominville gets his legs under him after missing all that time with a concussion that Buffalo's offence will get in gear. But in the meantime, there is pressure everywhere - on coach Lindy Ruff, general manager Darcy Regier and especially on Connolly at home, where he was booed mercilessly after a couple of turnovers led to shorthanded goals by the Boston Bruins in a 5-2 loss Wednesday. The Sabres rival the Nashville Predators for organizational stability, but the heat has rarely been quite this high, as the Buffalos prepare for the Hall of Fame game Saturday against the Maple Leafs in Toronto.
A statistical anomaly: In the New Jersey Devils' 5-3 win victory over the Chicago Blackhawks Wednesday, Jamie Langenbrunner scored what may have been the easiest winning goal of his career - into the empty net. The Blackhawks had pulled goalie Marty Turco at 3-2, when Langenbrunner scored to seemingly put it away. But then ex-Leafs forward Viktor Stallberg scored against Johan Hedberg, who was on in relief of the injured Martin Brodeur, and the Blackhawks again pulled the goalie - and again it backfired, this time with Andy Greene scoring into the empty net to account for the final margin of victory. It was a welcome offensive outburst by the slumping Devils, who will be without Zach Parise for three months recovering from knee surgery, and perhaps a sign that Jason Arnott, who had been in coach John MacLean's doghouse earlier in the season, might be in line for a larger role. Arnott scored his team-leading fourth goal of the season in the victory, even though he's averaging just 14:42 of playing time, almost seven minutes less than Ilya Kovalchuk.
Coaches always talk about depth as a pleasant problem and it is one that Pete Lavoilette of the Philadelphia Flyers constantly needs to address. He has four quality scoring centres and room to play just three (because he likes using Blair Betts on the checking line). This past week, that extra body came in handy because of Daniel Brière's three-game suspension, which meant Jeff Carter stepped into Brière's usual spot with Scott Hartnell and Ville Leino and immediately produced a three-point night, playing his favoured position. Carter had mostly been shuffled to the wing because Claude Giroux was off to a fiery start, with seven goals. Giroux's ever-growing confidence suggests he will shatter his career best of 16 regular-season goals established last year. Giroux also managed 10 in Philadelphia's run to the Stanley Cup final last season.