News

VANCOUVER, B.C. – With three of the Vancouver Canucks’ top four defencemen out with injury, the high-octane Chicago Blackhawks were supposed to thrive Saturday night

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Mikko Koivu scored twice and Niklas Backstrom stopped 21 shots as the Minnesota Wild snapped a four-game losing streak with a 4-0 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday night

ST. LOUIS – Anaheim defenceman James Wisniewski has been waiting his entire five-year NHL career for an opportunity to show off his shootout skills

MONTREAL – Rangers head coach John Tortorella had every reason to provide another highlight-reel tirade following his team’s 6-0 blowout loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night

TAMPA, Fla. – Jeff Halpern scored in the fifth round of the shootout and Antero Niittymaki topped Atlanta again in the Tampa Bay Lightning’s 2-1 victory over the Thrashers on Saturday night

DETROIT – An unidentified man was taken down from a conduit above a catwalk during a Detroit Red Wings game on Saturday night.Almost an entire section of stands in the lower bowl was cleared out when the man was noticed during the second period of the Red Wings’ 3-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings at Joe Louis Arena

HERSHEY, Pa. – The Manitoba Moose got an early goal on Saturday night, but it was all downhill from there.After falling behind 1-0 early in the first, the Hershey Bears scored five straight on their way to a 8-2 pounding of Manitoba in American Hockey League action

ABBOTSFORD, B.C. – The Houston Aeros grabbed four points in two games from the Abbotsford Heat, thanks in large part to their power play.Brandon Rogers scored 2:33 into overtime Saturday as the Aeros squeezed out a 5-4 win over the Heat

TORONTO – Christian Hanson’s 10th goal of the season in the second period paced the Toronto Marlies to a 4-3 victory over the visiting Hamilton Bulldogs in American Hockey League action Saturday

SUNRISE, Fla. – The Florida Panthers might have found a cure for their banged up, ailing offence – goalie Tomas Vokoun.Vokoun stopped 39 shots for his second shutout in four games and the Panthers beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 2-0 on Saturday night

WASHINGTON – Alexander Semin made every play the Washington Capitals needed Saturday night.Semin set up the Capitals’ first goal with a pass through a defenceman

MONTREAL – A week ago, it looked like the Montreal Canadiens’ season was coming apart after losses on consecutive nights to close rivals in the Eastern Conference playoff race

DETROIT – The Los Angeles Kings showed their mettle in a big game.Brad Richardson’s tiebreaking goal with 7:57 left capped Los Angeles’ rally from a two-goal deficit and lifted the Kings to a 3-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday night

UNIONDALE, N.Y. – The New Jersey Devils ensured Martin Brodeur’s second appearance at Nassau Coliseum in six days was better than the first.Brodeur made 20 saves to hold up his end, and Bryce Salvador scored his third goal of the season with 6:49 remaining to lift the Devils to a 4-2 win over the New York Islanders on Saturday night

PHILADELPHIA – Ray Emery stopped the puck when it mattered most.Emery made up for a third-period blunder by making a key save with 23 seconds left, leading the Philadelphia Flyers to a 4-2 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes

BOSTON – It’s no great secret that the Ottawa Senators are a better team with Daniel Alfredsson and Jason Spezza in their lineup.So now that both are back from injuries it’s not surprising the Senators are on a roll

PITTSBURGH – Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury went through a full practice Saturday and is expected to start Sunday in Philadelphia.Fleury, a member of the Canadian Olympic team, has missed three games with a broken ring finger on his left hand

MONTREAL – New York Rangers star Marian Gaborik says his fight with Philadelphia Flyers enforcer Dan Carcillo happened spontaneously and he doesn’t expect the two to drop the gloves when the teams meet again in March

MONTREAL – Defenceman Paul Mara has an upper-body injury and will not be in the Montreal Canadiens lineup against the New York Rangers on Saturday night

SUNRISE, Fla. – Florida Panthers winger Nathan Horton will miss four to six weeks with a fractured tibia.Panthers general manager Randy Sexton on Saturday said Horton’s injury doesn’t require surgery