Month: February 2009

OTTAWA – The Ottawa Senators played one of their better games of the season, but a late penalty ensured they would still find a way to lose.P.

WASHINGTON – Anze Kopitar scored two goals and added an assist, and the Los Angeles Kings dealt the Washington Capitals a rare home loss, winning 5-4 Thursday night despite allowing Alex Ovechkin’s 200th NHL goal.

WASHINGTON – Alex Ovechkin has scored his 200th NHL goal, and joined some elite company in the process.Ovechkin reached the milestone in the third period of the Washington Capitals’ game against the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday night, his 296th career contest.

TORONTO – Still loud and proud, Don Cherry celebrated his 75th birthday Thursday by shopping for an exotic goldfish, knocking back a few cold ones and watching some hockey on TV.

You can count Henrik Zetterberg among the people who think the Pittsburgh Penguins are better than their current record suggests.The Detroit Red Wings forward isn’t just basing his opinion on last year’s Stanley Cup final, either.

VANCOUVER, B.C. – The Vancouver Canucks have a new line and a fresh outlook on their playoff prospects after ending a dispiriting losing streak.

STOCKHOLM – Sweden killed off a two-man Russian power play that lasted one minute 43 seconds late in the third period to register a 4-3 victory over the defending Euro Hockey Tour champion in a LG Hockey Games opener Thursday.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Minnesota Wild will be without veteran forward Owen Nolan when they play the Nashville Predators on Friday.Nolan skated Thursday but was too sore with what the team is calling upper body muscle spasms.

The Edmonton Oilers placed defenceman Lubomir Visnovsky on the injured list Thursday.Visnovsky suffered a right shoulder injury in Edmonton’s 3-1 home loss to Chicago on Tuesday night.

MONTREAL – Forget Ricky Hatton-Manny Pacquiao, the fight everyone wants to see involves two rivals who are hockey’s equivalent to featherweights – Mikhail Grabovski and Sergei Kostitsyn.

MONTREAL – The son of hockey legend Guy Lafleur has been given a 15-month conditional sentence on an array of charges including uttering death threats, forcible confinement and assault.

SAGUENAY, Que. – Jonathan Roy, the son of NHL Hall of Fame member Patrick Roy, will face trial in July on an assault charge.Jean Asselin, Jonathan Roy’s new lawyer, says his client intends to fight the allegations stemming from a brawl during a Quebec Major Junior Hockey League game last March.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Columbus Blue Jackets activated centre Nikita Filatov off injured reserve Thursday, then assigned him to the club’s American Hockey League affiliate in Syracuse.

Movements in the world of hockey Wednesday:National Hockey LeagueANAHEIM DUCKS-Assigned D Nathan McIver to Iowa (AHL).BUFFALO SABRES-Activated D Teppo Numminen from injured reserve.

Detailed summaries from yesterday’s games:.Maple Leafs 0 at Sabres 5First Period1. Buffalo, Connolly 10 (Rivet, Vanek) 2:232. Buffalo, Stafford 14 (MacArthur, Numminen) 12:52Penalties – Schenn Tor (hooking) 7:57, Mitchell Tor (roughing), Butler Buf (hooking) 11:04, Rivet Buf (hooking) 13:18, Moore Tor (holding) 14:54, Ponikarovsky Tor (interference) 18:50.

PITTSBURGH – Evgeni Malkin finished a frantic Pittsburgh rally with 15.5 seconds left in overtime for his second goal and the Penguins, looking lifeless while trailing by three goals early in the third, surged to beat Tampa Bay 4-3 on Wednesday night.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Andrew Brunette and Mikko Koivu scored goals, and All-Star Niklas Backstrom made them stand with his sixth shutout of the season to lead the Minnesota Wild past the Anaheim Ducks 3-0 on Wednesday night.

DETROIT – Niklas Lidstrom’s power-play goal with 38 seconds left lifted the Detroit Red Wings to a 5-4 win over the Phoenix Coyotes on Wednesday night.

HAMILTON – The Syracuse Crunch got strong goaltending from Sebastian Dahm and two goals in a 4:19 span in the third period to beat the Hamilton Bulldogs 2-1 in American Hockey League action Wednesday.

PHOENIX – NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said the league is trying to help the financially struggling Phoenix Coyotes and called reports of the franchise’s demise “ridiculous” on Wednesday night.