Brock
Registered User
Tonight was a relatively light night of action for the HFNHL. Five games in total, 4 of which ended as shutouts! Let's take a closer look...
Boston Bruins vs. Colorado Avalanche:
Two teams in opposite directions faced off. The Bruins sitting at 4 games above .500 going into the game, the Avs at 4 games under the .500 mark. The first period saw relatively little action, as the teams combined for a total of 13 shots and no goals. The second period saw the powerful Bruins lay the smack down on the Avalanche defense, putting up 18 shots on goaltender Curtis Joseph. Joseph would stand on his head, stopping all 18 and the game went into the third still tied at zero. Using Cujo's performance as motivation, the Avalanche brought the heat to the Bruins in the third, outshooting them 9-4. However not even a late powerplay, after a stupid penalty by Owen Nolan, could help the Avs break the deadlock. Overtime would solve nothing (and produce zero shots on net) and this game finished at a 0-0 tie. Avs goaltender Curtis Joseph recieved the games first star, deservedly so. Bruins goaltender Marty Turco raised his Save Percentage to a league leading .938 as well in the tie. Also note the Avalanche defenseman Mike Komisarek left the game in the third period with a broken nose and is day to day.
Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Buffalo Sabres
This matchup saw a duel between two bottom dwellers of the Eastern Conference. The Leafs would go on to win their second in a row, with a decisive 3-0 victory. Goaltender Tomas Vokoun stopped 27 shots en route to his first shutout of the year. The Leafs got another strong game from team scoring leader, Randy Robitaille as he posted a goal and an assist. Also scoring for the Leafs was Brian Gionta and Kip Miller. Sabres GM Josh Pitt cannot be happy with his teams performance this season, as this was Buffalo's third time being shutout in 11 games. Buffalo also has the league's worst Goals per game, at 1.55.
New York Rangers vs. Ottawa Senators
The only game that didn't end up as a shutout tonight, saw the .500 Rangers battle the first place Ottawa Senators to a 2-2 tie. The Rangers took a 2-0 lead into the third period on the strength of goals from Ethan Moreau and Marc Savard as well as solid goaltending from David Aebischer. However, goals from Henrik Zetterberg and Janne Niinimaa tied the game for the Sens in the third period. Overtime solved nothing. The Senators managed to move into a tie with the New Jersey Devils for first in the East with the tie. The Rangers still sit 9th in the East, looking just on the outside of a playoff spot.
New Jersey Devils vs. Philadelphia Flyers
The Devils and Ilya Kovalchuk just keep rolling, earning a 4-0 victory over the disappointing Flyers. The win vaults the Devils to the top of the Eastern Conference with 16 points. The win saw Kovalchuk net his league leading 11th goal of the year, as well as Peter Bondra getting his second and third of the year. The win also saw Devils goaltender Kevin Weekes earn his first shutout of the year, as he was sensational for the Devils all night stopping all 26 shots from Philly. The loss continues an up and down start to the season for Claudio Mannario's Flyers. After winning three in a row, including a decisive victory against the first place Senators, the team has now lost two in a row.
Florida Panthers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
This game produced the fourth shutout of the night, as Otten's Panthers keep rolling on their surprising start to the season with a 4-0 victory. The game finally saw some production from Florida's second line, as Pierre Turgeon and Fernando Pisani tallied goals. The Panthers strong start has been fueled by the first line of Mats Sundin, Alex Daigle and Raffi Torres, who were actually held pointless tonight. That broke the six game point streak of captain Mats Sundin. The win also saw first shutout of the season for goalie John Grahame as he stopped all 23 Penguin shots. The Penguins continue to struggle this season, with only 2 victories in this young season. GM Otten has to get his Panthers ready for a battle with the Western Conference powerhouse St. Louis Blues tomorrow night.
Boston Bruins vs. Colorado Avalanche:
Two teams in opposite directions faced off. The Bruins sitting at 4 games above .500 going into the game, the Avs at 4 games under the .500 mark. The first period saw relatively little action, as the teams combined for a total of 13 shots and no goals. The second period saw the powerful Bruins lay the smack down on the Avalanche defense, putting up 18 shots on goaltender Curtis Joseph. Joseph would stand on his head, stopping all 18 and the game went into the third still tied at zero. Using Cujo's performance as motivation, the Avalanche brought the heat to the Bruins in the third, outshooting them 9-4. However not even a late powerplay, after a stupid penalty by Owen Nolan, could help the Avs break the deadlock. Overtime would solve nothing (and produce zero shots on net) and this game finished at a 0-0 tie. Avs goaltender Curtis Joseph recieved the games first star, deservedly so. Bruins goaltender Marty Turco raised his Save Percentage to a league leading .938 as well in the tie. Also note the Avalanche defenseman Mike Komisarek left the game in the third period with a broken nose and is day to day.
Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Buffalo Sabres
This matchup saw a duel between two bottom dwellers of the Eastern Conference. The Leafs would go on to win their second in a row, with a decisive 3-0 victory. Goaltender Tomas Vokoun stopped 27 shots en route to his first shutout of the year. The Leafs got another strong game from team scoring leader, Randy Robitaille as he posted a goal and an assist. Also scoring for the Leafs was Brian Gionta and Kip Miller. Sabres GM Josh Pitt cannot be happy with his teams performance this season, as this was Buffalo's third time being shutout in 11 games. Buffalo also has the league's worst Goals per game, at 1.55.
New York Rangers vs. Ottawa Senators
The only game that didn't end up as a shutout tonight, saw the .500 Rangers battle the first place Ottawa Senators to a 2-2 tie. The Rangers took a 2-0 lead into the third period on the strength of goals from Ethan Moreau and Marc Savard as well as solid goaltending from David Aebischer. However, goals from Henrik Zetterberg and Janne Niinimaa tied the game for the Sens in the third period. Overtime solved nothing. The Senators managed to move into a tie with the New Jersey Devils for first in the East with the tie. The Rangers still sit 9th in the East, looking just on the outside of a playoff spot.
New Jersey Devils vs. Philadelphia Flyers
The Devils and Ilya Kovalchuk just keep rolling, earning a 4-0 victory over the disappointing Flyers. The win vaults the Devils to the top of the Eastern Conference with 16 points. The win saw Kovalchuk net his league leading 11th goal of the year, as well as Peter Bondra getting his second and third of the year. The win also saw Devils goaltender Kevin Weekes earn his first shutout of the year, as he was sensational for the Devils all night stopping all 26 shots from Philly. The loss continues an up and down start to the season for Claudio Mannario's Flyers. After winning three in a row, including a decisive victory against the first place Senators, the team has now lost two in a row.
Florida Panthers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
This game produced the fourth shutout of the night, as Otten's Panthers keep rolling on their surprising start to the season with a 4-0 victory. The game finally saw some production from Florida's second line, as Pierre Turgeon and Fernando Pisani tallied goals. The Panthers strong start has been fueled by the first line of Mats Sundin, Alex Daigle and Raffi Torres, who were actually held pointless tonight. That broke the six game point streak of captain Mats Sundin. The win also saw first shutout of the season for goalie John Grahame as he stopped all 23 Penguin shots. The Penguins continue to struggle this season, with only 2 victories in this young season. GM Otten has to get his Panthers ready for a battle with the Western Conference powerhouse St. Louis Blues tomorrow night.
