Western Canadian Hockey League

Stars leave St. Louis feeling the Blues
 

 
Dallas Stars (4) vs St. Louis Blues (2).........
The WCHL's worst team this season, the Dallas Stars have now won two straight games and four of their last five as they doubled up on the Blues in St.Louis. Oddly enough the Blues have accounted for three of Dallas victories this season or 43% of Dallas' points in the standings.
This was a bit of a rough game as there were four fights in total, and it wasn't who you would expect dropping the mitts (Bieksa or Torres for the Blues) or (Glass or Brookbank for Dallas) rather it was Peverly (twice for St.Louis) and Dubinsky (twice for Dallas) who were the shift disturbers. There was hockey played as well.
After a scoreless first, Dallas scored twice in fifteen seconds to open the second on goals by James Sheppard(3rd) at 0:39 and Nik Antropov(14th) at 0:54 seconds to give the Stars a lead. The Blues replied with goals by Damien Brunner(28th) at 4:10 and Marc Staal(7th) who tied up the affair forty-six seconds before the buzzer to end the middle stanza.
The difference in the game came off the stick of Nick Foligno(20th,21st) in the third as he would score his first on the powerplay then add his second with just over five and a half minutes remaining to put the game on ice. Justin Abdelkader and David Clarkson added a pair of helpers each for Dallas.
Nikolai Khabibulin stopped 28 shots for his fifth win of the season. Niklas Backstrom dropped to .500 on the season with the loss stopping 21 of 25.
MOLSON'S 3 STARS:
1 - Nick Foligno (Dal)......... 2 goals, +1, 4 shots
2 - Damien Brunner (St.).... 1 goal, 1 assist, 6 shots
3 - James Sheppard (Dal).... 1 goal, +1, 3 shots
GAME'S GOAT:
Rich Peverly (St.L)........ For a player who's sole job on the team is to provide offense - as the team's leading scorer, Peverly took it upon himself to use his hands to score some punches to the opponent's face instead as he threw down for the only two times this season, spending some very valuable time watching the game from the sidelines.
NEXT UP:
The Blues remain at home and welcome the tough San Jose Sharks to town on Sunday. The Sharks are mirred in an off year this season as they are usually one of the top tier teams but find themselves struggling to stay in the playoff picture, as they have lost three of their last five games. Then it's off to the Canadian Capital to play the Senators on Monday. Ottawa is also struggling of late having won just four times in their past ten games as they try to hold onto fifth place in the East.
Dallas will host the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday. The Flyers have lost just four times in their last fifteen games while juggling their roster as they have dealt with injuries to key players all season long. Then the Stars travel to Buffalo to play the Sabres who have gone 3-7 in their last ten matches and are well into their planning stage for next season. This team has underachieved all season and there is hope that GM Khera can right the ship without having to gut the franchise.

Reporting For The WCHL Network..........
Peter Puck

Columbus left feeling blue on the island
 

Islanders march to another win
 
New York Islanders (3) vs Columbus Blue Jackets (2) - SO.....
With one team on the outside looking in and the other fighting to secure a home playoff position the Blue Jackets and Isles hooked up in the state of Ohio.
The game started off tentatively for both teams, after twenty minutes the game remained scoreless and the shots were 8-5 Isles.
The second started off the way the first ended until the 16:45 minute mark when Nate Thompson scored his 12th of the season for Columbus. The period would see no more scoring, shots were 14-10 for the Blue Jackets.
In the third each team's special teams would be key, striking a combined three times. The Isles' Phil Kessel would score his 62nd and 63rd goals of the campaign both on the powerplay at 7:07 and 16:44 of the period. Sandwiched in between was Columbus' Carl Gunnersson's first of the year, at 14:50 with the extra skater. After sixty minutes the game was the same way it stated.... Tied.
There was no scoring in overtime so it went to the shoot-out where, Niklas Backstrom and T.J Oshie would both beat Semyon Varlamov in the Columbus net, while Claude Giroux and Jussi Jokinen were both stopped by the Isles Carey Price who would register his 31st victory of the season stopping 29 shots.
MOLSON'S 3 STARS:
1 - Phil Kessel (NYI)....... 2 goals,-1, 9 shots
2 - Nate Thompson (Clb).... 1 goal, +1, 2 shots
3 - Semyon Varlamov (Clb)...... 34 saves, .944 SV%
GAME'S GOAT:
Benn Ferriero......... was in the penalty box for diving in the third when Phil Kessel tied it up for the Isles and sent it to O.T. Ferriero played just under six minutes.
NEXT UP:
The Isles play host to the Phoenix Coyotes on Sunday, the 'Yotes are three points behind Edmonton for the eighth and final playoff spot in the West. Then on Tuesday the Blue Jackets come into Long Island set on revenge to complete the home-and-home.
Columbus will play host to Colorado on Sunday, the Avs are fighting to stay ahead of the Flames for second in the West. Then the Jackets will try to return the favor to the Isles on Tuesday in the rematch from Saturday evening, the Isles are just three points in front of the Flyers for 6th in the East.
Reporting For WCHL Network.........
Peter Puck

Bozak and Brodziak blast Wild into win column
 

Wild Head Coach Ron Wilson gives first period instructions during the Minnesota's 3-2 win over Vancouver on Saturday.
 
Vancouver Canucks (2) vs Minnesota Wild (3)........
The Killer "B's" staked the Wild to a first period 2-0 lead and they would hang on to beat the Canucks.
Tyler Bozak(37th) would get the Wild on the board just shy of the seven minute mark of the opening frame as he collected his own rebound and wristed it past Ondrej Pavelec. On the second goal, Kyle Brodziak(12th) picked up a loose puck in front of Vancouver's net after Martin Straka was laid out by Jan Hejda (who was acquired earlier in the day in a trade from Toronto for Ian White) and snapped it past a screened Pavelec who was going the other way on the play. Shots after 20 were 14-7 in favor of the Wild.
The Canucks cut Minny's lead in half as Daniel Sedin(34th) would score the only goal of the period on the powerplay at the 7:24 mark. Vancouver out-shot the Wild 14-6 in the period.
Minny would restore their two goal lead at 3:00 of the third on Tyler Bozak's(38th) second goal of the night as Pavelec would stop his original shot but Bozak snapped home the rebound. The Canucks would make it interesting as Henrik Sedin(21st) buried a rebound off a shot from brother Daniel past Antti Niemi at 4:14, just fifty-five seconds after Minny extended their lead. The Canucks couldn't muster a third goal as the managed only 6 shots in the third period, for a game total of 30-27 in favor of the Wild.
Antti Niemi stopped 25 shots for his 33rd win of the season.
Manny Malhotra was acquired by Vancouver earlier in the day for seldom used goaltender Jonas Gustavsson.
MOLSON'S 3 STARS:
1 - Tyler Bozak (Min)....... 2 goals, 1 assist, +2, 6 shots.
2 - Kyle Brodziak (Min).... 1goal, 1 assist, +2, 5 shots.
3 - Henrik Sedin (Van)...... 1 goal, 1 assist, 1 shot.
GAME'S GOAT:
Alex Ovechkin (Van)....... the "great eight" was anything but as he logged over twenty-two minutes of ice time but was a non-factor as he finished with a minus one and could only muster a single shot on net through three periods, at times was invisible on the ice.
NEXT UP:
Vancouver plays the Sharks in San Jose on Sunday, the Sharks have lost their last two home games by a combined score of 6-3. Then the Canucks host Anaheim on Monday, the Ducks are on another winning streak, this one at nine and counting which includes three clean sheets by Tuukka Rask. On Tuesday they travel to the desert to play the Coyotes who have lost four straight while fighting for the eighth and final playoff spot in the West.
Minnesota travels to "Music City USA" to take on the Predators Sunday night, Nashville has just two wins in their last dozen games and are struggling to stay in the playoff race. Minny is at home on Monday to host the Lightning, Tampa sits dead last in the East. The Leafs come to The Asylum.com Arena in Minny to play the Wild on Tuesday, the Leafs have lost their last two games with a combined score of 11-4 and is in danger of falling out of second overall in the East as they are just two points ahead of the hard charging Senators who have won four straight.

Reporting For The WCHL Network.........
Peter Puck

Leafs fall quietly
 

 
Toronto Maple Leafs (1) vs New York Rangers (4).........
The Leafs invaded Madison Square but it was Toronto getting blown away.
The Rangers jumped out to a 2-0 lead after eighteen minutes of play thanks to Shane Doan (32nd) and Johan Franzen (31st). Evgeni Malkin (39th) was able to cut that lead in half with less than a minute remaining in the first.
The play in the second period was wide open as the teams combined for 32 shots on net. Only the Rangers found the back of the net as Anze Kopitar (31st) on the powerplay at 4:29 then Gabriel Landeskog (15th) tipped home a Shane Doan slapper a little more than seven minutes later to give the Rangers a 4-1 lead they wouldn't relinquish. The two teams went back into their defensive shells for the third, where the Leafs out-shot New York 7-6 for a game total of 32-23 Rangers.
Jonas Hiller stopped 28 shots in the loss, while at the other end "King" Henrik made 22 stops for his 33rd win of the season.
MOLSON'S 3 STARS:
1 - Anze Kopitar (NYR)....... 1 goal, 2 assists, +2, 2 shots
2 - Shane Doan (NYR)....... 1 goal, 2 assists, +2, 5 shots
3 - Gabriel Landeskog (NYR)...... 1 goal, +2, 5 shots
GAMES GOAT:
Mark Giordano (TOR)..... The Leafs' leading minute muncher in the game (24:28) failed to impress, he was a minus one with no shots on net or blocked shots.

Next up for the Rangers is a visit to LA-LA Land to take on the Kings Monday night. The Kings lost 3-2 in OT to the lowly Blues in St.Louis.
As for the Leafs, the Canucks come to the "Big Smoke" on Monday night after dropping a 6-4 decision to the Hurricanes in Carolina.

Reporting for WCHL Network..........
Peter Puck

Predatory feast on the Island
 

It was one goal to few for the Islanders, who lost to the Predators 6-5 in a shootout

Duck hunting season
 

It's going to be a nasty season series for the Ducks and Avalanche
 
Anaheim Ducks (6) vs Colorado Avalanche (4) .......
A lot of verbal jabs were bounced back and forth between the two respective GMs well before this game was played on the ice but when it was it didn't disappoint.
The game remained scoreless until the 14:22 mark of the opening frame when the Ducks would count two goals inside of a minute off the sticks of Derek Stepan (29th) and Patrice Bergeron (24th), Bergeron's on the powerplay with Av's Brenden Dillon off for slashing. Then it was Colorado's turn with the extra attacker, in fact the Avs would score consecutive powerplay goals 1:21 apart to close out the period as Lubomir Visnovsky ripped a slapper through Rask, his 6th of the season, then John Carlson notched his 4th of the season as he deposited a rebound off the boards over Rask's shoulder as Victor Hedman watched helplessly from the sin bin with a second remaining.
After a fast, hectic first period that saw 4 goals (3 on powerplay), there was just a single goal in the middle frame, it came off the stick of Patrice Bergeron (his second of the night, both on the powerplay) again the culprit, Brenden Dillon who was sitting two minutes for hooking. Still a close game at 3-2 Ducks, with the shots 22-17 after forty.
Down by one Colorado came out quick and with purpose as they wanted to let the Ducks they wouldn't go away without a fight. Dustin Penner with just his second of the season at (5:00) and defenseman Justin Faulk (11th) just thirty-four seconds later with the extra skater as Bret Clark looked on nervously from the penalty box. With that goal the Avs took their first lead of the game which last just under six minutes before Anaheim rattled off three straight goals in four minutes and four seconds, starting with Logan Couture's 24th on the powerplay with the Av's Dillon again the player in the box. Matt Moulson (33rd) put the Ducks back in the lead, this time for good as Rick Nash with his 32nd would count as the insurance marker at 15:25 and the Avs wouldn't get the equalizer despite out-shooting the Ducks in the third 17-10 and overall 34-32. Tuukka Rask made 30 saves for his 30th win of the season in the victory while at the other end Craig Anderson made 26 saves in losing for just the 3rd time this season.
MOLSON'S 3 STARS:
1 - Patrice Bergeron (Ana)....... 2 goals, 1 assist, +2, 3 shots
2 - Matt Moulson (Ana)........... 1 goal, 2 assists, +2, 2 shots
3 - Rick Nash (Ana).................. 1 goal, 1 assist, +2, 2 shots
HONORABLE MENTION:
Derek Stepan (Ana)................. 1 goal, 1 assist, +1, 6 shots
GAME'S GOAT:
Brenden Dillon (Col)................ -1, 6 PIM. although his numbers aren't horrible Brenden was in the box for two of Anaheim's three powerplay goals.
NEXT UP:
The Ducks are back on the ice on Sunday night as the face the Western Conference's 12th place squad in the Vancouver Canucks. Then the Flyers come to town on Monday night, Philly dropped their second straight Saturday night game to the Capitals, 3-2. Then it will be the game that most of the league will have their eyes on as the Ducks travel back to Colorado to take on the Avs on Tuesday night, but with three games in three nights will the Ducks run out of gas in the re-match.
The Avalanche may have a leg up on Anaheim on their re-match as they are off until the Ducks come to town on Tuesday. Then it's off to Music City USA to take on the Predators on Wednesday, then it's back home to host the Coyotes on Friday. The Coyotes sit in 11th in the West, playing .500 hockey in their last ten games.
Reporting For The WCHL Network.......
Peter Puck