NHL News
Semin's status remains up in the air
Fantasy Forecast for Tuesday, Nov. 18 MONDAY'S ROUNDUP: The Washington Post reported Capitals superstar Alexander Semin (16 games, 13-14-27, 98 percent owned in all Yahoo! leagues) participated in Monday's practice but was limited b...
Third jerseys getting first-rate reviews
The history is stitched on the stick. The one major difference between the jerseys the New York Islanders wore in the mid-1970s and the ones they unveiled last month as their new third jersey is the stick built off the Y in their logo n...
Thomas states his case
XM NHL ALL-STAR FAN BALLOTING All-Star Fan Balloting is underway Get out the vote! Fan balloting for the 2009 NHL All-Star Game in Montreal is under way, with fans able to select the starters for the Eastern and Western Conferences. ...
Salary cap making trades a difficult proposition
About this time of year, hockey fans start putting their "dream trades" together. That is all fine and well, but let me remind you of two words: salary cap. It is not as easy as it used to be to make a trade these days. Two good...
Lucky breaks jump-start Roy's career
"Maybe if Paul Pageau's wife doesn't deliver that night maybe we don't have Patrick and maybe we don't win the Calder Cup." -- Francois Allaire, goalie coach for the Sherbrooke Canadiens during Patrick Roy's Calder Cup run T...
Ritola knows hard work plus skill will get him to NHL
Hakan Andersson wasn't sure about the reports he was getting. Mattias Ritola is working hard? No way. He's running at the crack of dawn? You must be joking. The lazy guy with the bad reputation? Yeah, sure. "I said, 'This is not...
Tavares still No. 1 in Central Scouting's rankings
John Tavares knows all about firsts. He was the first to be granted exceptional-player status by the Canadian Hockey League. He was the first pick of the Ontario Hockey League Draft at age 15. He's long been the first name mentioned whe...
Conklin's on cloud nine
A few thoughts while chaos erupts in Canada's capital city: Ty feels terrific -- There's only one better feeling in this world than helping your team record back-to-back wins: watching the birth of your child in between. &n...
MacDonald powers Isles to third straight win
Joey MacDonald is settling in as the starting goaltender for the New York Islanders. Going head-to-head with Roberto Luongo and emerging with a shootout victory should be a nice confidence boost. MacDonald stopped 31 shots through regul...
Bruins edge Leafs in Toronto
Just 24 hours after returning home from Western Canada, the Toronto Maple Leafs weren't very well-rested heading into Monday night's game with the Boston Bruins at Air Canada Centre. It showed. T...
Atlantic: Injuries just a part of Devils' problems
Injuries are something that can't be controlled, so they can't be something that are worried about. That's the philosophy the New Jersey Devils have long subscribed to, because, really there's no other choice. The Devils haven't been bi...
Original Six contest among five games
The Northeast Division-leading Boston Bruins take on the Toronto Maple Leafs (7:30 p.m. ET, VERSUS) in an Original Six match in one of five games in the NHL on Monday night. A half-hour prior to the start of the Leafs-Bruins, the Vanco...
Semin's absence a cause for concern
Fantasy Forecast for Monday, Nov. 17 WEEKEND ROUNDUP: Fantasy owners of the NHL's most dominant player thus far, Alexander Semin of the Capitals, are on pins and needles after the superstar was injured in a weekend home-and-home ser...
Malkin taking control as League's offensive leader
Sidney Crosby may be the face of the NHL these days, but oft-times linemate Evgeni Malkin is putting up bigger numbers this season. Malkin came into his own last season when Crosby was sidelined with a high ankle sprain. He's turned int...
Desharnais cooking up something big
A few years ago, not one NHL team saw enough in David Desharnais to waste a draft pick on him. Last season, Hamilton Bulldogs coach Don Lever threw him out on the ice for a few games, but admitted wasn't overwhelmed by what he saw...
Sydor eager to prove the doubters wrong
A few thoughts while Donovan McNabb waits for the start of double overtime: Sydor's a Star … again -- Looking to bolster their blue line, the Dallas Stars acquired a familiar face Sunday. Darryl Sydor, who played for the Stars...
Sharks continue domination of Hawks
The San Jose Sharks continued their roll through the first quarter of the NHL season by taking two points against a team they've owned in past seasons -- but it took four power-play goals and a third-period comeback to pull it off. Devi...
Tavares out to prove his doubters wrong
John Tavares said he didn't come into the 2008-09 season with a chip on his shoulder. But he certainly could be forgiven if he did. Tavares, in the center of the spotlight for seemingly as long anyone can remember, has been the target o...
Five 18-year-old defensemen make NHL rosters
For all young players, there's an adjustment period in the climb from the junior level to the NHL. The speed at which those adjustments are made, however, seem tied the player's position. In other words, it's easier for a young forward ...
'08 draftees breaking through early
Most players selected in the draft go through a similar process. They skate with the team at a prospect or rookie camp after being drafted, work through the early part of training camp with the NHL players and then pack up and head back to...
Bailey looks ahead after NHL debut
Josh Bailey was happy, relieved, hopeful and disappointed, all at the same time. A month after many of his fellow first-rounders played their first NHL games, Bailey, the New York Islanders' first pick in the 2008 Entry Draft, finally g...
Roy, Clark to be honored Saturday night
Two of the hardest-working athletes in NHL history, Patrick Roy and Wendel Clark, will be honored by their respective teams Saturday night. Roy, the Hall of Fame goalie for the Montreal Canadiens and Colorado Avalanche, will be honored...
'Canes spoil Tocchet's debut
Give Rick Tocchet some time. The new coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning insists that things are going to get a whole lot better. On Sunday, though, it was more of the same. Tuomo Ruutu and Rod Brin...
Penguins continue string of comebacks
A few thoughts before the Lightning interview Steve Levy: Pens are mightier than the Sword(s) — With so much talent, one has to at least wonder why the Pittsburgh Penguins wait until the third period before the engines are revving...
Roy reigns as NHL's greatest goalie
In the litany of French-Canadian goaltenders, the name Daniel Bouchard might not immediately spring to mind. But it was Bouchard -- not Jacques Plante, Bernie Parent or any of the other legends that have come out of la belle provence --...
Rangers top Bruins 3-2 in shootout
Coaches always say hockey is a 60-minute game. In the case of the New York Rangers, that's not always true. The visiting Boston Bruins dominated the Rangers for the first 50-plus minutes Saturday night, taking a 2-0 lead and looking lik...
Capitals showing who's boss in Southeast
The Washington Capitals made a clear statement in their decisive victory against Carolina last Wednesday. They are, indeed, the team to beat in the Southeast Division this season. Making sure that claim was heard loud and clear were lin...
Luongo, Demitra pace Canucks past Leafs
Roberto Luongo's return to Earth continued on Saturday night, but that didn't stop the Vancouver Canucks from winning for the fourth time in five games. Luongo stopped 28 of 30 shots, while Pavol Demitra had three assists in his return ...
Devils outlast Caps in 6-5 shootout win
Shootout victories have been just one of Martin Brodeur's specialties since the NHL instituted the penalty-shot tiebreaker for the 2005-06 season. With Brodeur sidelined for the long term after elbow surgery, the other goaltenders on the N...
NHL keeping you on the edge of your seat
Thanks to John Glennon of The Tennessean, I now know why the eyes are having a hard time snapping into action in the morning. There have been so many late-game heroics this season that no lead is safe, so we're all staying up later that us...
Scapinello had a female protector in Boston
There is an old adage that no one roots for referees, umpires, side judges and linesmen except for league commissioners and the officials' families. Hall of Fame linesman Ray Scapinello agrees that not many people root for the ref or the l...
Once ice cold, Thrashers now sizzling
A few thoughts while we wish Barry Melrose better luck in his future endeavors: Turning it around — Any team currently struggling need look no further than the Atlanta Thrashers to see that a change in fortunes could be right aro...
Franzen's goal lifts Wings over Panthers
Like most visitors from the North, the Detroit Red Wings had a wonderful time in Florida — especially on the ice. The Wings made it two wins in as many nights in the Sunshine State by holding off the Florida Panthers 3-2 on Friday...
Assessing 'The State of Hockey' with Risebrough
Doug Risebrough is the only general manager the Minnesota Wild have known, making him the logical choice to talk about what's Wild in the State of Hockey. He recently took time to sit down with NHL.com and talk about the Wild's core val...
Umberger finally getting acclimated to new role
R.J. Umberger had to circle the wagons, and Columbus Blue Jackets coach Ken Hitchcock knew it, too. That's why seven games into the season Umberger, who was brought in to Columbus to center the Jackets' top line despite never playing th...
Draft class of 2003 looking like best ever
Every night. And I mean every night, while scanning NHL games, there's an item about players from the first round of the 2003 Entry Draft making an impact in the NHL. And it's no coincidence. On Hall of Fame induction night in Toronto, ...
Theodore stars as Caps keep rolling
Two teams heading in opposite directions met at Verizon Center on Friday night. Jose Theodore made sure the Washington Capitals kept rolling and the New Jersey Devils' goal-scoring struggles continued. Theodore stopped 32 shots in his f...
Chillin' with ... Dan Girardi
What's on your iPod now? "I'd say a really, really good mix of everything. Everything from techno, country, rock, rap and some oldies are on there. I like a little bit of everything. I have about 2,500 songs right now and a couple o...
Player turnover, Stamkos' slow start hurt Melrose
Several factors combined to force Barry Melrose's firing just 16 games into his return as an NHL coach with the Tampa Bay Lightning — not the least of which was the underwhelming performance of rookie Steven Stamkos, nor the team's 5...
Devils hope to rebound vs. Caps
Life without Martin Brodeur hasn't been too kind to the New Jersey Devils, but coach Brent Sutter hopes his club can right the ship tonight against the surging Washington Capitals (7 p.m. ET, NHLN-CA, RIS). It's one of six games on tap ...
