NEWS BY DIVISION
- Northeast GMs still filling roster holes Northeast
- 'Boogey Man' no laughing matter Atlantic
- Halak must prove he isn't all hype Central
- Iginla likes Calgary signings of Jokinen, Tanguay Northwest
- If Kovy stays in the East, then what? Pacific
- FAs not expected to fly Southeast this summer Southeast
COLUMNS
- Drafting well: not an easy task Justin Bourne
- Stock Up, Stock Down Justin Bourne
- Beards And Bruises: The De-evolution of Looks Justin Bourne
| Caps so good, they make history on day off |
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| Southeast |
| Written by Brett Friedlander |
| Friday, March 12, 2010 15:43 |
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Southeast Division notebook: There’s still a full month left in the regular season, but already the Washington Capitals have made it a banner season. Washington’s formula for success is hardly a secret. Riding a high-powered offense led by two-time scoring champ Alex Ovechkin, it has scored 44 more goals than any other team in the league. But the Caps haven’t been content to sit back and try to outscore the opposition. Bracing for the tougher, more physical style of the postseason, Washington bolstered its defense with a rash of trade-deadline deals. The improvements, combined with the recent play of goalie Jose Theodore – who recorded his first shutout of the year with a 2-0 win against the Islanders last Saturday – the Caps look even more dangerous than ever. At this point, their most feared opponent could be themselves as they work to keep from getting stale as they wait impatiently for the postseason to begin. “The playoffs don't start till April (15),” Boudreau said earlier in the week. “As long as we can, and I don't like doing it either, we'll keep rotating guys in and out of the lineup to keep them fresh and sharp. The players don't like it, but they understand it. They have the common goal.” At 45-13-9, the Caps hold a nearly insourmountable 15-point lead on second-place Pittsburgh for the best record in the Eastern Conference. They also hold a six-point lead over Chicago and San Jose for the league’s best record. ATLANTA Forty-eight-year-old defenseman Chris Chelios made his return to the NHL on Thursday, but it was hardly a triumphant one. Not only did his Thrashers lose 2-1 to Columbus to be officially eliminated from the division race, but Chelios was a factor in the defeat when a shot by R.J. Umberger deflected off him past goalie Johan Hedberg for the Blue Jackets’ first goal [video below]. Chelios, in his 26th professional season, played just over 13 minutes and was minus-1. … Though he’ll never be confused for Ilya Kovalchuk, Niclas Bergfors is doing is best to endear himself to Thrasher fans in place of the recently traded star. In 10 games since coming to Atlanta in that controversial trade with New Jersey, the 23-year-old right wing has six goals – including two game-winners – eight assists and is plus-four while leading Atlanta to a 6-4 record. CAROLINA G Manny Legace continued his recent hot streak on Sunday when he stopped all 30 shots for his first shutout since April 2008. It was also the Hurricanes’ first shutout of the season and increased Legace’s winning streak to five. Included among those wins was a victory against Ottawa, which gave the 37-year-old journeyman at least one victory against every NHL team in his career. … In that win against the Thrashers, newly acquired defenseman Brian Pothier recorded his first Carolina point by assisting on a goal by Jussi Jokinen. He also played 25:02 to lead all skaters in ice time. He then scored 23 seconds into overtime to give the Hurricanes a 4-3 win against the Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins. … With Erik Cole sidelined by illness, the Hurricanes called up 22-year-old LW Oskar Osala from Albany of the AHL. Osala was acquired in a trade-deadline deal with Washington. His first game was Wednesday against the Capitals. … While things have been going well lately for Carolina, it did get some potentially bad news Thursday when rookie Brandon Sutter went out with a “lower body injury” in the first period. FLORIDA The Panthers held the Minnesota Wild to a franchise record-tying low of 11 shots on goal Tuesday in a 3-2 shootout win. Things got so bad that after their team went nearly 12 minutes without a shot, Wild fans sarcastically cheered when Mikko Koivu was credited with one early in the third period. Minnesota had more shots in the four-round shootout than it did in the second period. … D Keith Ballard left Monday's practice with a sore groin but still played on Tuesday. … The Panthers have had five three-game winning streaks this season. They again failed to make it four Thursday when former Panther Craig Anderson shut them out 3-0 to drop them eight points out of the eighth and final playoff spot in the East. … D Bryan McCabe was named the NHL’s third star last week for leading all league blue-liners with eight points (one goal, seven assists) in three games. TAMPA BAY Veteran forward Martin St. Louis got a scare last Saturday when his head knocked into the end boards on a hit by Atlanta’s Clarke McArthur. St. Louis said he “lost his equilibrium” following after the play, which left him lying on the ice in pain. After missing practice Sunday, St. Louis reported no lingering effects and returned to the lineup. … The news wasn’t as good for left wing Ryan Malone and center Zenon Konopka, both of whom missed Tuesday’s game with Montreal with injuries. … C Steven Stamkos, who at 20 years old is on pace become the youngest 50-goal scorer since Jimmy Carson in 1987-88, was named the NHL’s second star last week. He had five goals in three days and extended the league’s longest current point streak to 16 games. |
