Forsberg done; Brodeur, Gonchar progress
Get starting goalie confirmation right before your roster lock in for each game along with line combos from each team and helpful statistical trends on a variety of players in action each night. Just refresh your browser as the games roll on.
PENGUINS 3 @ DEVILS 4 (OT) Coming in: Pittsburgh (24-21-4) exploded in the third period to beat the Rangers Wednesday and had won four of six. New Jersey (31-15-3) beat Boston in OT last night and stretched its winning streak to seven.
Goaltending match-up: Marc-Andre Fleury (39/43, .907 SV%) vs. Scott Clemmensen (13/16, .813 SV%) Net notes: MAF had allowed two or fewer goals in four straight starts with a shutout in that mix. Mathieu Garon should get his first start with the Pens Saturday. Clemmensen had given up just eight goals in his past five starts and had won six straight coming in here.
Pittsburgh line combos Pascal Dupuis Sidney Crosby Evgeni Malkin Chris Minard Jordan Staal Petr Sykora Miroslav Satan Max Talbot Tyler Kennedy
New Jersey line combos Zach Parise Travis Zajac Jamie Langenbrunner Patrik Elias Dainius Zubrus Brian Gionta Brian Rolston John Madden David Clarkson
Key notes: Evgeni Malkin's (1G, 1A, +1, 22:18 ice time, 5:04 PP, no PK, 4 SOG) lead over Sidney Crosby (1G, 1A, even, 2 PIM, 21:16 ice time, 4:37 PP, no PK, 1 SOG, 8-9 FO) in the Art Ross race had shrunk to seven points before this one began, with Alexander Ovechkin four points shy of that plateau. #87 was coming off that four-point performance vs. NYR and this marks the second straight game he's had a pretty wicked backhanded goal. Straight sticks ain't so bad in some cases, eh?
Ryan Whitney (1A, -1, 26:35 ice time, 4:49 PP, 3:39 PK, 1 SOG) had a decent eight points in 16 starts since getting back into the line-up before tonight and five of those points had come in his past five games, so clearly he's starting to feel more comfortable. Petr Sykora (1A, even, 4 PIM, 21:47 ice time, 3:16 PP, no PK, no SOG) had 15 points in 17 career games vs. NJD before adding more here. He had four points in his past four starts overall with none in four before that.
Max Talbot (1G, +1, 18:20 ice time, no PP, 3:19 PK, 2 SOG, 4-6 FO) has points in four of six after tonight.
Jamie Langenbrunner (2G, +1, 19:48 ice time, 5:22 PP, 1:17 PK, 7 SOG) had back-to-back two-goal games headed in here with five points in that period and a +6 rating over three contests before tonight. He also had a pair of GWGs headed into this one, where his marker was the GTG very late in the third period. So who scored the OT winner? Naturally. That's some kind of run for him.
Linemates Zach Parise (1A, even, 21:25 ice time, 6:10 PP, 0:02 PK, 7 SOG) and Travis Zajac (2A, +1, 22:10 ice time, 5:57 PP, 0:50 PK, 2 SOG, 6-11 FO) have also been nails for their poolies. Parise has been making headlines all season, but Zajac has been the guy available for poolies in many cases of late.
Brendan Shanahan (1G, 1A, +2, 15:52 ice time, 3:47 PP, 1:53 PK, 2 SOG, 1-2 FO) has points in three of five now and he had at least one penalty in three straight coming in. Brian Gionta (1A, -1, 19:14 ice time, 3:41 PP, 1:44 PK, 3 SOG) has an assist in three straight after four with no points, while Dainius Zubrus (1A, even, 14:34 ice time, 2:51 PP, no PK, 2 SOG, 11-5 FO) snapped a six-game pointless skid here.
SENATORS 0 @ BLUE JACKETS 1 Coming in: Ottawa (17-22-7) kicked off its three-game roadie last night with a win @STL and was 4-1-1 in its past six. Columbus (23-20-5) had points in six of eight headed in here.
Goaltending match-up: Alex Auld (24/25, .960 SV%) vs. Steve Mason (18/18) Net notes: Auld had two other starts in January in the first week and had allowed at least four goals in six of his past seven starts coming in with three in the only other game. Mason gave up just two goals vs. DET in his last start, but had surrendered 13 in the three before that one. This was his league-leading seventh shutout of the season.
Ottawa line combos Dany Heatley Jason Spezza Daniel Alfredsson Jarkko Ruutu Mike Fisher Chris Neil Antoine Vermette Chris Kelly Jesse Winchester
Columbus line combos Kristian Huselius Manny Malhotra Rick Nash R.J. Umberger Jason Williams Jakub Voracek Fredrik Modin Jason Chimera Jared Boll
Key notes: Jakub Voracek (1G, +1 10:40 ice time, 2:36 PP, no PK, 2 SOG) has scored in two of three and three of seven with points in three of four. He had seven points in eight starts coming in here. Michael Peca (1A, +1, 2 PIM, 16:47 ice time, 3:11 PP, 4:17 PK, 3 SOG, 7-6 FO) had four points in six tries before tonight. This was Jason Chimera's (1A, +1, 2 PIM, 14:55 ice time, 3:02 PP, no PK, no SOG, 0-2 FO) second game in the line-up and first scoring summary appearance.
FLYERS 6 @ LIGHTNING 1 Coming in: Philadelphia (25-13-9) was 5-3-2 headed in here and lost its first start on this three game roadie Tuesday. Tampa Bay (17-22-10) lost @CAR and was 7-4-0 in its past 11 as this one began.
Goaltending match-up: Antero Niittymaki (41/42, .976 SV%) vs. Mike Smith (24/30, .800 SV%) & Riku Helenius (2/2) Net notes: Niitty had a 2-0-1 January mark with only six goals against coming in here. Smith was 6-5-0 with 2.84/ .905 splits on the month before this one began. This was the first taste of NHL action for Helenius too.
Philadelphia line combos Simon Gagne Mike Richards Mike Knuble Scott Hartnell Jeff Carter Joffrey Lupul Scottie Upshall Darroll Powe Claude Giroux
Tampa Bay line combos Vaclav Prospal Vincent Lecavalier Evgeny Artyukhin Ryan Malone Jeff Halpern Martin St. Louis Mark Recchi Steven Stamkos Steve Downie
Key notes: Mike Richards (2G, 1A, +2, 15:41 ice time, 2:50 PP, 3:41 PK, 5 SOG, 13-8 FO) had gone five games without a goal before converting on a breakaway in the first period. He has points in four straight now. Simon Gagne (1A, +1, 2 PIM, 14:17 ice time, 3:23 PP, 2:07 PK, no SOG) has rustled up a point in six of seven after a five-game pointless skid. Mike Knuble (1A, +1, 2 PIM, 13:57 ice time, 3:08 PP, 2:47 PK, no SOG, 1-0 FO) finished December pointless in five straight, but had eight points and 26 SOG in January coming in here.
Jeff Carter (2G, +3, 22:46 ice time, 4:06 PP, 6:03 PK, 5 SOG, 9-14 FO) got his fifth shortie of the season already and that makes 11 in his career. He has points in six of seven with three different multi-point efforts in that period. Scott Hartnell (1G, 1A, +3, 2 PIM, 17:30 ice time, 3:18 PP, 3:15 PK, 2 SOG) had five points and 22 PIM on the month before this effort. Kimmo Timonen (1A, +3, 2 PIM, 25:19 ice time, 4:36 PP, 6:43 PK, 4 SOG) had gone four games without a point, but he still has points in five of nine overall.
Matt Carle (1A, +2, 20:15 ice time, 2:41 PP, 1:01 PK, 1 SOG) has helpers in two of five after six with none, while Randy Jones (1G, 1A, +1, 23:31 ice time, 3:54 PP, 5:53 PK, 1 SOG) has scored in two of three but that's it for January. Joffrey Lupul (1A, +2, 2 PIM, 13:57 ice time, 2:27 PP, no PK, 4 SOG) has points in four of six.
Vaclav Prospal (1G, -2, 16:04 ice time, 5:15 PP, 0:04 PK, 4 SOG) has goals in four of six with points in five of six and 12 of 15. Martin St. Louis (-2, 23:10 ice time, 9:50 PP, 2:20 PK, 9 SOG, 1-0 FO) had racked up 35 points in 28 GP vs. PHI before tonight and he couldn't score on his penalty shot.
Mark Recchi (-1, 20:13 ice time, 8:39 PP, no PK, no SOG) came into tonight with 11 points in 13 starts and he had a goal waved off for the proverbial kicking motion, while Steven Stamkos (-1, 2 PIM, 14:41 ice time, 2:37 PP, 0:06 PK, 1 SOG, 5-7 FO) had one called off because of an alleged high stick. This was Paul Ranger's (1A, -2, 19:34 ice time, 0:46 PP, 4:15 PK, 3 SOG) sixth game back in the line-up and first time with a point.
PREDATORS 1 @ FLAMES 3 Coming in: Nashville (21-23-3) won in Vancouver Wednesday to stop a three-game slide. Calgary (29-14-4) had a 7-3-0 January mark before this one started.
Goaltending match-up: Pekka Rinne (29/32, .906 SV%) vs. Miikka Kiprusoff (28/29, .966 SV%) Net notes: Rinne had a 4-4-0 January record before tonight with 2.15/ .922 splits. Kipper was 7-2-0 this month with a 2.54 GAA and .911 SV% coming in.
Nashville line combos Steve Sullivan Jason Arnott J.P. Dumont Ryan Jones David Legwand Martin Erat Joel Ward Vernon Fiddler Jordin Tootoo
Calgary line combos Michael Cammalleri Craig Conroy Jarome Iginla Rene Bourque Daymond Langkow Todd Bertuzzi Curtis Glencross Matthew Lombardi David Moss
Key notes: J.P. Dumont (1G, -1, 17:16 ice time, 3:42 PP, no PK, 3 SOG) has goals back-to-back and in three of five after breaking the shutout bid in the third period. Radek Bonk (1A, +1, 14:29 ice time, 3:28 PP, 0:27 PK, 1 SOG, 6-2 FO) has points in three straight and five of eight.
Michael Cammalleri's (1A, even, 19:45 ice time, 7:46 PP, no PK, 2 SOG, 6-2 FO) point streak has run to eight games now. He had five different multi-point efforts in that period before this one began, including four with multi-goal efforts and goals in four straight coming in here. Todd Bertuzzi (-1, 7 PIM, 16:39 ice time, 5:31 PP, no PK, no SOG) has only played six games this month, but he had points in four of five coming in and now has PIM in four of five after his fight with Jordin Tootoo.
Daymond Langkow (1A, -1, 15:32 ice time, 5:00 PP, no PK, 2 SOG, 6-4 FO) had gone four games without a point before assisting on one here, but he was hot for several weeks before that stretch. Adrian Aucoin (1G, +1, 24:32 ice time, 8:56 PP, 4:07 PK, 3 SOG) ended a 10-game goalless stretch, but he extended his point streak to six with points in seven of eight.
Matthew Lombardi (1G, +1, 15:35 ice time, 3:36 PP, 2:22 PK, 2 SOG, 3-6 FO) had eight points with a +5 rating on the month in 10 GP before tonight. David Moss (1A, +1, 11:19 ice time, 3:39 PP, 0:23 PK, 1 SOG, 0-1 FO) had six points with a solid 36 SOG total in that time too before this evening, while Curtis Glencross (1A, +1, 11:47 ice time, 1:21 PP, 0:54 PK, 2 SOG, 1-1 FO) stopped a six-game pointless skid here.
WILD 1 @ OILERS 3 Coming in: Minnesota (24-20-3) had been off since Tuesday, when it had a 6-1 win vs. TOR. The Wild has not won more than two straight since mid-November. Edmonton (24-20-3) had a three-game winning streak ground to a halt with that 10-2 spanking vs. BUF Tuesday.
Goaltending match-up: Niklas Backstrom (8/11, .727 SV%) & Josh Harding (17/17) vs. Dwayne Roloson (29/30, .967 SV%) Net notes: Backstrom had a perfect 10-0-0 career mark vs. EDM coming in with 1.58/ .935 peripherals and three shutouts. Roloson had a 6-4-0 January record before this one began with 3.07/ .891 splits.
Minnesota line combos Owen Nolan Mikko Koivu Antti Miettinen Andrew Brunette Eric Belanger Pierre-Marc Bouchard Stephane Veilleux James Sheppard Cal Clutterbuck
Edmonton line combos Dustin Penner Shawn Horcoff Ales Hemsky Ethan Moreau Andrew Cogliano Marc Pouliot Robert Nilsson Ryan Potulny Erik Cole
Key notes: James Sheppard (1G, +1, 18:52 ice time, 2:12 PP, 3:52 PK, 3 SOG, 6-11 FO) had gone five games without a goal, but he broke the shutout bid here. He has points in four of seven. Pierre-Marc Bouchard (1A, even, 16:44 ice time, 2:53 PP, no PK, 1 SOG) had that three-point game vs. TOR, which was his second three-pointer in five tries coming in here.
Ales Hemsky (1G, +1, 17:16 ice time, 4:15 PP, no PK, 2 SOG) has goals in three of four and he had a two-pointer and four-pointer before getting blanked vs. BUF. Shawn Horcoff (1A, even, 21:48 ice time, 4:26 PP, 3:11 PK, 3 SOG, 15-12 FO) has points in four of five now after four with none.
Lubomir Visnovsky (1G, +1, 23:38 ice time, 7:03 PP, no PK, 3 SOG) has a PPG in two of three with 17 points in 24 GP before this effort. Denis Grebeshkov (1A, +1, 2 PIM, 17:54 ice time, 1:36 PP, 1:27 PK, no SOG) had 10 points in 12 GP from the back end coming into this tilt. Marc Pouliot (1A, even, 13:49 ice time, no PP, 0:07 PK, 4 SOG, 1-0 FO) has points in three of five after five with nadda, while Ethan Moreau (1G, even, 2 PIM, 18:11 ice time, no PP, 1:38 PK, 4 SOG, 1-0 FO) has goals in two of four with a hat trick vs. PHO as his other contribution.
Robert Nilsson (1A, even, 2 PIM, 15:59 ice time, 4:11 PP, no PK, 1 SOG) had a couple of points in his last game, while Andrew Cogliano (2A, +1, 18:45 ice time, 4:00 PP, 0:07 PK, 1 SOG, 8-7 FO) had a nine-game goalless streak headed in here. He had a three-assist game vs. PHO as his only points in seven before this multi-point result.
