A Day in the NHL: NHL Trade Deadline Recap; Jets Blow It; Preds and Rangers Roll
By Editorial Staff
The Night that Was:
It wasn’t only a low-scoring game, but a low-shooting one as well between the New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers. Through two periods each team had only ten shots, as Carl Hagelin’s 11th was the only goal of the game. Ryan Callahan added an empty-netter for the 2-0 win, as Henrik Lundqvist had to make just 13 saves for the shutout. Both Hagelin and Callahan finished the evening with a goal and an assist.
It’s a good thing that the Los Angeles Kings didn’t trade Dustin Brown because he continues to be the only one who scores for them lately. The Predators opened up a 1-0 lead late in the first on Roman Josi’s fourth of the season, and were up 2-0 after two on Patric Hornqvist’s 18th. Dustin Brown scored his 18th in the third to cut the lead in half but that’s the way it finished, 2-1 Preds. David Legwand finished with two assists as Pekka Rinne made 30 saves for win number 35.
With a couple of busy days behind them, the Colorado Avalanche seem better for it. Hosting the Anaheim Ducks, Steve Downie assisted on Cody McLeod’s first-period goal for a 1-0 lead, but Bobby Ryan would tie it in the second. Once the third started though it was all Avalanche as Ryan O’Reilly, Matt Duchene and Jay McClement all scored en route to a 4-1 win. Downie, Jan Hejda and Gabriel Landeskog all finished with two assists for Colorado, while Semyon Varlamov won his third-straight game as he made 27 saves.
While the Calgary Flames stood pat at the deadline, they were hoping to move up the standings against the St. Louis Blues. Things started well when Curtis Glencross’ 19th gave the Flames a 1-0 lead, but by the end of the opening period David Backes and Jason Arnott had given the Blues a 2-1 lead. Jason Arnott would add his second in the second period for a 3-1 lead, and that’s the way it would end. Patrik Berglund had two assists to go along with Arnott’s two goals, as Jaroslav Halak had to make just 20 saves for the win.
After a scoreless first period between the Oilers and Jets, Kyle Wellwood and Alex Burmistrov both scored their 13th goals of the season to offset one from Ryan Whitney to give the Jets a 2-1 lead through two. The Oilers came alive after that though, as Ryan Jones, Lennart Petrell, Taylor Hall, and Jordan Eberle all scored before Nik Antropov got on the board, as Edmonton buried Winnipeg with a 5-3 comeback win. Hall and Petrell both added assists for two-point nights while Burmistrov, Antropov and Dustin Byuglien all finished the night with two points. Devan Dubnyk made 29 saves for his career-high 13th win.
The Deadline Day Story
The Nashville Predators trade a 2nd-round pick in 2013 and a conditional 5th-round pick in 2013 to the Montreal Canadiens for forward Andrei Kostitsyn.
The Tampa Bay Lightning trade a conditional 7th-round pick in 2013 to the Detroit Red Wings for defenseman Mike Commodore.
The Edmonton Oilers trade defenseman Tom Gilbert to the Minnesota Wild for defensemen Nick Schultz.
The Toronto Maple Leafs trade defenseman Keith Aulie to the Tampa Bay Lightning for forward Carter Ashton.
The San Jose Sharks trade forwards Jamie McGinn, Mike Connolly, and Michael Sgarbossa to the Colorado Avalanche for forwards Daniel Winnik, T.J. Galiardi and a 7th-round pick in 2013.
The Vancouver Canucks trade defenseman Taylor Ellington and two 4th-round picks in 2012 to the Columbus Blue Jackets for forward Sami Pahlsson.
The Winnipeg Jets trade defenseman Johnny Oduya to the Chicago Blackhawks for a 2nd-round pick in 2013 and a 3rd-round pick in 2013.
The Boston Bruins trade forward Yannick Riendeau and defenseman Marc Cantin to the New York Islanders for forward Brian Rolston and defenseman Mike Mottau.
The Nashville Predators trade a 1st-round pick in 2012 to the Buffalo Sabres for forward Paul Gaustad and a 4th-round pick in 2013.
The Boston Bruins trade defenseman Steve Kampfer to the Minnesota Wild for defenseman Greg Zanon.
The New York Rangers trade a 5th-round pick in 2012 to the Chicago Blackhawks for defenseman John Scott.
The Toronto Maple Leafs trade forward Dale Mitchell to the Anaheim Ducks for defenseman Mark Fraser.
The Vancouver Canucks trade forward Cody Hodgson and defenseman Alexander Sulzer to the Buffalo Sabres for forward Zach Kassian and defenseman Marc-Andre Gragnani.
The Vancouver Canucks trade defenseman Sebastian Erixon to the Anaheim Ducks for forward Andrew Gordon.
What’s on Tonight?
Ottawa travels to Boston looking to trim a 3-point gap between the teams, while Florida visits Toronto as the Leafs look to inch closer to the top-8. With a win over the Islanders, the Capitals could move one point up on the Jets for eighth, while Nashville travels to Carolina and Detroit visits Columbus. Montreal and Tampa Bay both need a win (the Habs more having lost four in a row), while Los Angeles hopes to score a few goals against the Wild in Minnesota. The Vancouver Canucks enter the stretch run towards the playoffs against third-place Phoenix, and Philadelphia stops by San Jose as both could move up the standings with a win.
The Injury Bug:
-Johnny Boychuk is out indefinitely with a mild concussion. The Bruins addressed the situation yesterday, acquiring some extra defensive depth.
-Jonathan Toews is still out with what is called an ‘upper-body injury’, but reports indicate that he is suffering from concussion-like symptoms. There is still no timetable for his return.
News, Notes, and Rumours
-While Rick Nash was not traded yesterday, Columbus Blue Jackets General Manager Scott Howson made the idea of Nash staying in Columbus beyond this season difficult to believe after he announced to the media that Nash asked for the trade out of Columbus. It was an odd twist in a story that has been fairly quiet in terms of who said what until this past weekend.
-The Calgary Flames didn’t make a trade yesterday, but they did make a move, signing forward Tim Jackman to a two-year contract extension.
-The Montreal Canadiens claimed forward Brad Staubitz off of waivers from the Minnesota Wild.
-The Jets also claimed defenseman Grant Clitsome off of waivers from the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The Overlooked Fantasy Line(s) of the Night:
Jan Hejda finished with two assists last night and a plus-three rating in 19:42 of ice time. Both of Hejda’s assists were even-strength, giving him his second two-point game of the season.