GSheet
National Hockey League Previews from The Sports Network
Monday, February 26th (All times eastern)
ATLANTA THRASHERS (31-23-10) AT BOSTON BRUINS (30-27-4), 7 P.M.
(Sports Network) - The Atlanta Thrashers hope the recent additions to their lineup will translate to improved play and they'll test that theory tonight, when they visit the Boston Bruins at TD Banknorth Garden.
The Thrashers are just 2-7-2 in February and have dropped two straight and six of their last seven games. However, Atlanta made some moves to help cure this slump over the weekend, as it acquired defenseman Alexei Zhitnik and left wing Keith Tkachuk.
First, Atlanta sent defense prospect Braydon Coburn to Philadelphia in exchange for Zhitnik on Saturday night. Zhitnik, who has five goals and 19 assists on the year, was traded for the second time this year after being sent from the Islanders to Philly in December.
On Sunday, the Thrashers picked up Tkachuk from St. Louis in exchange for forward Glen Metropolit, first and third round draft choices in 2007 and a second-round draft pick in 2008. Tkachuk has 20 goals and 23 assists on the season and 911 career points (466 goals, 445 assists).
Both Tkachuk and Zhitnik are expected to be in action this evening against the Bruins.
The Thrashers' latest loss came Saturday to division rival Carolina, as Justin Williams scored two goals and John Grahame made 28 save to lead the Hurricanes to a 4-1 triumph at Philips Arena.
Garnet Exelby scored the lone goal and Kari Lehtonen stopped 24-of-27 shots for the Thrashers.
Atlanta has 72 points and is three behind Tampa Bay for first place in the Southeast Division. The Thrashers are also sixth in the Eastern Conference and three points behind Pittsburgh for the fifth spot.
The Thrashers are 17-13-4 on the road this season, but have lost four of their last five tests as the visitor.
Meanwhile, the Bruins had a four-game winning streak halted in a big way Saturday, as they were slammed, 7-2, by the Florida Panthers. Chris Gratton scored twice and added an assist, to lead the host club to the easy rout.
Marc Savard and Brad Boyes each tallied a goal and an assist for the Bruins. Savard has notched a point in eight straight games, posting three goals and 11 assists during the run.
Tim Thomas started between the pipes for Boston and was pulled after the first period, allowing three goals on 19 shots. His replacement, Hannu Toivonen did no better and allowed four goals on 33 shots.
Boston is still on the outside of the playoff race and trails the New York Islanders by six points for the final postseason berth in the Eastern Conference.
Tonight marks the beginning of a three-game homestand for the Bruins, who are 16-12-2 as the host club this year.
Atlanta is 2-0 against the Bruins this year and has taken the last four meetings overall.
TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (30-23-9) AT MONTREAL CANADIENS (32-26-6), 7:30 P.M.
(Sports Network) - One of the best rivalries in sports resumes this evening, as the Montreal Canadiens open the doors of the Bell Centre for a battle with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
This series between two of the Original Six franchises is always heated, but should be aided for the rest of the year by a close Eastern Conference playoff race. Montreal has 70 points and is tied with the New York Islanders for the eighth and final postseason berth in the East, while the Maple Leafs are just one point behind in ninth place.
The Canadiens were in action against the Isles on Saturday and had a three- game win streak halted. New York earned the 3-2 home victory as Frans Nielsen had a goal and an assist for his first NHL points.
Sheldon Souray and Chris Higgins each scored for the Canadiens, who have dropped seven of their last 10 games. Saku Koivu had two assists and Jaroslav Halak made 28 saves for Montreal.
The Canadiens, who are 18-12-3 as the host club this year, will begin a five- game road trip Tuesday against the New York Rangers.
Toronto, meanwhile, is coming into tonight's test on a winning note after disposing of the Flyers in Philadelphia on Saturday. Jeff O'Neill and Alex Steen both had a goal and an assist, as the Leafs rolled to the 5-2 triumph at the Wachovia Center.
Chad Kilger, Mats Sundin and John Pohl also scored for the Maple Leafs, who had dropped two straight and five of their last seven games (2-2-3) entering Saturday's test.
Bryan McCabe notched three assists for Toronto, which is wrapping up a three- game road trip tonight. The Maple Leafs are a solid 18-10-4 as the visitor this season.
Sundin has 387 goals as a Maple Leaf and is now just two away from tying Hall- of-Famer Darryl Sittler for the franchise record.
Toronto has the upper hand in the series with the Habs this year, winning three of the five matchups so far. However, these clubs have split the last 14 encounters.
PHOENIX COYOTES (26-32-3) AT CALGARY FLAMES (32-21-9), 9:30 P.M.
(Sports Network) - The Calgary Flames will continue their push for the postseason tonight, when they welcome the Phoenix Coyotes to the Pengrowth Saddledome.
The Flames have 73 points and are currently clinging to the eighth and final postseason berth in the Western Conference. Edmonton is in ninth place and seven points behind Calgary.
Calgary ended a two-game slide on Saturday by defeating the visiting San Jose Sharks. Jarome Iginla scored two goals and added two assists to help the Flames earn the 7-4 victory.
Matthew Lombardi had a goal and an assist and Alex Tanguay and Roman Hamrlik each added three helpers for the Flames, who had lost three of four coming into the game.
Miikka Kiprusoff stopped 33 shots in the win for Calgary.
Tonight marks the middle portion of a three-game homestand for the Flames, who have a superb record of 25-6-1 as the host club this year.
The Coyotes haven't played since Thursday evening, when they notched a home win over the Flames. Shane Doan scored the game-winner in overtime, as Phoenix edged Calgary, 3-2.
Off a turnover at the blue line, Doan nabbed the puck and surged into the Calgary zone, where he ripped a wrist shot from the middle of the left circle that skipped through the five-hole of Kiprusoff just 54 seconds in.
Oleg Saprykin and Steven Reinprecht also tallied for the Coyotes, who snapped a six-game slide in which they were outscored 27-13. Mikael Tellqvist made 29 saves between the pipes for Phoenix.
Coyotes defenseman Ed Jovanovski missed Thursday's game with an abdominal injury and isn't expected to play tonight.
The Coyotes, who are just 12-19-1 as the visiting team this year, begin a three-game road trip tonight.
Calgary has taken two of the three encounters with the Coyotes this year and has been victorious in 10 of the last 13 meetings overall.
ANAHEIM DUCKS (36-17-10) AT SAN JOSE SHARKS (38-23-1), 10 P.M.
(Sports Network) - An important Pacific Division battle takes place tonight in San Jose, as the Sharks welcome the first-place Anaheim Ducks to HP Pavilion.
The Ducks are first in the Pacific and second in the Western Conference with 82 points on the year. San Jose has 77 points and is tied with Dallas for second place in the division and fifth in the West.
The Sharks are coming off Saturday's lopsided loss in Calgary. Jarome Iginla scored two goals and added two assists to help the Flames roll to the 7-4 triumph at the Saddledome.
Mike Grier had a goal and an assist and Evgeni Nabokov was shelled for six goals on 22 shots for the Sharks, who had won their previous two games.
Saturday's test was the final segment of a season-long eight-game road trip for the Sharks, who went 4-4-0 during the swing.
Tonight marks the first of two straight at home for San Jose, which is 18-11-1 as the host this season. The Sharks will have another tough test on Wednesday, when they invite the Western Conference-leading Nashville Predators to the Shark Tank.
The Ducks were in action Sunday and snapped a three-game losing streak. Scott Niedermayer's goal with 3:23 left in the third period proved to be the game- winner, as Anaheim notched the 5-3 home victory over the Colorado Avalanche.
Niedermayer also had two assists, and Andy McDonald contributed two goals and a helper for Anaheim, which was 0-1-2 in its previous three tests.
Teemu Selanne and Chris Pronger also scored for the Ducks, while Jean- Sebastien Giguere made 23 saves.
The Ducks are 17-12-3 as the visiting club this year and will complete a brief two-game trip Thursday in Los Angeles.
The Ducks and Sharks have met five times this season and Anaheim has walked away the victor in three of those encounters. Anaheim has also notched wins in four of its last six trips to the Shark Tank.
National Hockey League Previews from The Sports Network
Monday, February 26th (All times eastern)
ATLANTA THRASHERS (31-23-10) AT BOSTON BRUINS (30-27-4), 7 P.M.
(Sports Network) - The Atlanta Thrashers hope the recent additions to their lineup will translate to improved play and they'll test that theory tonight, when they visit the Boston Bruins at TD Banknorth Garden.
The Thrashers are just 2-7-2 in February and have dropped two straight and six of their last seven games. However, Atlanta made some moves to help cure this slump over the weekend, as it acquired defenseman Alexei Zhitnik and left wing Keith Tkachuk.
First, Atlanta sent defense prospect Braydon Coburn to Philadelphia in exchange for Zhitnik on Saturday night. Zhitnik, who has five goals and 19 assists on the year, was traded for the second time this year after being sent from the Islanders to Philly in December.
On Sunday, the Thrashers picked up Tkachuk from St. Louis in exchange for forward Glen Metropolit, first and third round draft choices in 2007 and a second-round draft pick in 2008. Tkachuk has 20 goals and 23 assists on the season and 911 career points (466 goals, 445 assists).
Both Tkachuk and Zhitnik are expected to be in action this evening against the Bruins.
The Thrashers' latest loss came Saturday to division rival Carolina, as Justin Williams scored two goals and John Grahame made 28 save to lead the Hurricanes to a 4-1 triumph at Philips Arena.
Garnet Exelby scored the lone goal and Kari Lehtonen stopped 24-of-27 shots for the Thrashers.
Atlanta has 72 points and is three behind Tampa Bay for first place in the Southeast Division. The Thrashers are also sixth in the Eastern Conference and three points behind Pittsburgh for the fifth spot.
The Thrashers are 17-13-4 on the road this season, but have lost four of their last five tests as the visitor.
Meanwhile, the Bruins had a four-game winning streak halted in a big way Saturday, as they were slammed, 7-2, by the Florida Panthers. Chris Gratton scored twice and added an assist, to lead the host club to the easy rout.
Marc Savard and Brad Boyes each tallied a goal and an assist for the Bruins. Savard has notched a point in eight straight games, posting three goals and 11 assists during the run.
Tim Thomas started between the pipes for Boston and was pulled after the first period, allowing three goals on 19 shots. His replacement, Hannu Toivonen did no better and allowed four goals on 33 shots.
Boston is still on the outside of the playoff race and trails the New York Islanders by six points for the final postseason berth in the Eastern Conference.
Tonight marks the beginning of a three-game homestand for the Bruins, who are 16-12-2 as the host club this year.
Atlanta is 2-0 against the Bruins this year and has taken the last four meetings overall.
TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (30-23-9) AT MONTREAL CANADIENS (32-26-6), 7:30 P.M.
(Sports Network) - One of the best rivalries in sports resumes this evening, as the Montreal Canadiens open the doors of the Bell Centre for a battle with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
This series between two of the Original Six franchises is always heated, but should be aided for the rest of the year by a close Eastern Conference playoff race. Montreal has 70 points and is tied with the New York Islanders for the eighth and final postseason berth in the East, while the Maple Leafs are just one point behind in ninth place.
The Canadiens were in action against the Isles on Saturday and had a three- game win streak halted. New York earned the 3-2 home victory as Frans Nielsen had a goal and an assist for his first NHL points.
Sheldon Souray and Chris Higgins each scored for the Canadiens, who have dropped seven of their last 10 games. Saku Koivu had two assists and Jaroslav Halak made 28 saves for Montreal.
The Canadiens, who are 18-12-3 as the host club this year, will begin a five- game road trip Tuesday against the New York Rangers.
Toronto, meanwhile, is coming into tonight's test on a winning note after disposing of the Flyers in Philadelphia on Saturday. Jeff O'Neill and Alex Steen both had a goal and an assist, as the Leafs rolled to the 5-2 triumph at the Wachovia Center.
Chad Kilger, Mats Sundin and John Pohl also scored for the Maple Leafs, who had dropped two straight and five of their last seven games (2-2-3) entering Saturday's test.
Bryan McCabe notched three assists for Toronto, which is wrapping up a three- game road trip tonight. The Maple Leafs are a solid 18-10-4 as the visitor this season.
Sundin has 387 goals as a Maple Leaf and is now just two away from tying Hall- of-Famer Darryl Sittler for the franchise record.
Toronto has the upper hand in the series with the Habs this year, winning three of the five matchups so far. However, these clubs have split the last 14 encounters.
PHOENIX COYOTES (26-32-3) AT CALGARY FLAMES (32-21-9), 9:30 P.M.
(Sports Network) - The Calgary Flames will continue their push for the postseason tonight, when they welcome the Phoenix Coyotes to the Pengrowth Saddledome.
The Flames have 73 points and are currently clinging to the eighth and final postseason berth in the Western Conference. Edmonton is in ninth place and seven points behind Calgary.
Calgary ended a two-game slide on Saturday by defeating the visiting San Jose Sharks. Jarome Iginla scored two goals and added two assists to help the Flames earn the 7-4 victory.
Matthew Lombardi had a goal and an assist and Alex Tanguay and Roman Hamrlik each added three helpers for the Flames, who had lost three of four coming into the game.
Miikka Kiprusoff stopped 33 shots in the win for Calgary.
Tonight marks the middle portion of a three-game homestand for the Flames, who have a superb record of 25-6-1 as the host club this year.
The Coyotes haven't played since Thursday evening, when they notched a home win over the Flames. Shane Doan scored the game-winner in overtime, as Phoenix edged Calgary, 3-2.
Off a turnover at the blue line, Doan nabbed the puck and surged into the Calgary zone, where he ripped a wrist shot from the middle of the left circle that skipped through the five-hole of Kiprusoff just 54 seconds in.
Oleg Saprykin and Steven Reinprecht also tallied for the Coyotes, who snapped a six-game slide in which they were outscored 27-13. Mikael Tellqvist made 29 saves between the pipes for Phoenix.
Coyotes defenseman Ed Jovanovski missed Thursday's game with an abdominal injury and isn't expected to play tonight.
The Coyotes, who are just 12-19-1 as the visiting team this year, begin a three-game road trip tonight.
Calgary has taken two of the three encounters with the Coyotes this year and has been victorious in 10 of the last 13 meetings overall.
ANAHEIM DUCKS (36-17-10) AT SAN JOSE SHARKS (38-23-1), 10 P.M.
(Sports Network) - An important Pacific Division battle takes place tonight in San Jose, as the Sharks welcome the first-place Anaheim Ducks to HP Pavilion.
The Ducks are first in the Pacific and second in the Western Conference with 82 points on the year. San Jose has 77 points and is tied with Dallas for second place in the division and fifth in the West.
The Sharks are coming off Saturday's lopsided loss in Calgary. Jarome Iginla scored two goals and added two assists to help the Flames roll to the 7-4 triumph at the Saddledome.
Mike Grier had a goal and an assist and Evgeni Nabokov was shelled for six goals on 22 shots for the Sharks, who had won their previous two games.
Saturday's test was the final segment of a season-long eight-game road trip for the Sharks, who went 4-4-0 during the swing.
Tonight marks the first of two straight at home for San Jose, which is 18-11-1 as the host this season. The Sharks will have another tough test on Wednesday, when they invite the Western Conference-leading Nashville Predators to the Shark Tank.
The Ducks were in action Sunday and snapped a three-game losing streak. Scott Niedermayer's goal with 3:23 left in the third period proved to be the game- winner, as Anaheim notched the 5-3 home victory over the Colorado Avalanche.
Niedermayer also had two assists, and Andy McDonald contributed two goals and a helper for Anaheim, which was 0-1-2 in its previous three tests.
Teemu Selanne and Chris Pronger also scored for the Ducks, while Jean- Sebastien Giguere made 23 saves.
The Ducks are 17-12-3 as the visiting club this year and will complete a brief two-game trip Thursday in Los Angeles.
The Ducks and Sharks have met five times this season and Anaheim has walked away the victor in three of those encounters. Anaheim has also notched wins in four of its last six trips to the Shark Tank.
