NHL Capsules: Stars announce four-year contract extension with Goligoski
DALLAS (AP) — The Dallas Stars have reached a four-year, $18.4 million contract extension with defenseman Alex Goligoski that keeps him with the team through the 2015-16 season.
The agreement was announced Monday.
The 26-year-old Goligoski is in his fourth NHL season and his second with the Stars. He leads the team with 22:34 minutes played per game. He was acquired from Pittsburgh in February 2011. His current deal had been set to expire this summer.
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Datsyuk, Franzen use second-period goals to carry Detroit past St. Louis
DETROIT (AP) — Pavel Datsyuk and Johan Franzen scored in the second period, and the Detroit Red Wings beat the St. Louis Blues 3-1 on Monday night for their 17th straight home win — the NHL's longest single-season streak in 36 years.
The Red Wings' spurt is the league's fourth longest. Detroit (33-15-1) has won seven in a row overall and leads the NHL with 67 points.
Niklas Kronwall sealed the win with a power-play goal with 3:03 left. Jimmy Howard made 21 saves to earn his NHL-leading 30th win.
St. Louis had won four straight, and lost in regulation for the first time since a Dec. 31 defeat at Detroit. Jaroslav Halak, who had won a career-high seven in a row, made 25 saves.
Scott Nichol put the Blues ahead midway through the first period, but they couldn't get the puck past Howard again.
Detroit is three wins away at home from matching the league record of 20, set by the Boston Bruins during the 1929-30 season, and matched by Philadelphia in 1976. The Red Wings are 20-2-1 at home this season and haven't lost there since Nov. 3.
The Blues are 23-6-6 since coach Ken Hitchcock replaced the fired Davis Payne.
PREDATORS 4, BLUE JACKETS 1
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Mike Fisher scored two goals, and Nashville beat Columbus for its third straight victory and 11th in 13 games.
The Predators wrapped up their season series with Columbus by going 5-0-1. Fisher has scored six of his 11 goals against the Blue Jackets.
Matt Halischuk and Patric Hornqvist both scored, and Ryan Suter had two assists as Nashville won for the 12th time in 14 home games. Pekka Rinne stopped 25 shots for a franchise-record and career-high eighth straight victory.
Rick Nash scored for Columbus to avoid the shutout.
MAPLE LEAFS 3, ISLANDERS 0
TORONTO (AP) — Matthew Lombardi scored two goals and Jonas Gustavsson made 25 saves as Toronto beat the New York Islanders in the first game of a home-and-home series.
Phil Kessel also scored for Toronto (24-19-5), which moved into an eighth-place tie in the Eastern Conference with the idle Washington Capitals.
The Leafs stopped Islanders forward John Tavares' 12-game point streak — the longest run in the NHL this season — and snapped a three-game winning streak for New York (19-22-6). Tavares notched eight goals and 13 assists during his spurt, and helped the Islanders to an 8-4 mark.
It was the third shutout of the season for Gustavsson, who has started nine of Toronto's past 10 games. The Maple Leafs, who had lost four of five, outshot New York 35-25.
HURRICANES 2, JETS 1
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Jeff Skinner and Tim Brent scored first-period goals for Carolina, which held off Winnipeg and won its third straight at home.
Kyle Wellwood scored at 13:47 of the second period for the Jets' only goal.
Cam Ward stopped 29 shots for his 18th win. Winnipeg's Chris Mason, who played in his 300th NHL game, made 14 saves.
The Jets had won the previous three matchups with Carolina this season.
KINGS 4, SENATORS 1
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kyle Clifford had a goal and an assist, Jonathan Quick made 27 saves, and Los Angeles rolled into its All-Star break with a victory over Ottawa.
Trevor Lewis scored on a penalty shot and Jack Johnson scored during a two-man advantage for the Kings, who moved even with San Jose atop the Pacific Division after earning a point for the 16th time in 18 games.
Quick headed to his first All-Star game appearance in style, shutting down the Senators' powerful lineup until captain Daniel Alfredsson's power-play goal with 11:23 to play. His teammates had already built a four-goal lead and chased Ottawa goalie Craig Anderson by breaking out of the latest scoring slump for the NHL's lowest-scoring team.
Anderson stopped 22 shots before Alex Auld replaced him to start the third period for the Senators, who lost on both of their Southern California stops during their six-game trip.
Willie Mitchell scored Los Angeles' first goal in the clubs' only meeting of the season. Drew Doughty and Colin Fraser had two assists apiece in the Kings' final game before an eight-day break.
OILERS 2, SHARKS 1, SO
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Taylor Hall scored the winning goal in a shootout and Edmonton snapped a three-game skid by beating Pacific Division-leading San Jose.
Edmonton's Devan Dubnyk was the first star of the game, stopping 44 shots through overtime and three more in the shootout.
Jordan Eberle scored in regulation for the Oilers (18-26-4), who won for the second time in 10 games and sixth in 26 outings.
Logan Couture had the lone goal for the Sharks (26-14-6), who have lost three straight and four of five. Thomas Greiss made 17 saves in a matchup of backup goalies.
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Scuffling Sabres continue their downward slide
AMHERST, N.Y. (AP) — The high-priced Buffalo Sabres' tumble from the top of the Eastern Conference to its bottom is just as perplexing to them as it is to most outside observers.
"We're living through it," right wing Drew Stafford said Monday before the team departed for Tuesday's game at the New Jersey Devils. "We're the ones on the ice, and we're the ones responsible for the games. It's been like this for a while, and you have to answer for it and answer why."
Amid growing calls for a shake-up, the Sabres returned home briefly for practice after losing the first five games of a seven-game road trip, their longest of the season. Buffalo is just 1-7-1 in its past nine overall, and the NHL's highest-paid team is in danger of falling into sole possession of 15th place in the East just two months after being a point out of the No. 1 spot.
Since blanking the Carolina Hurricanes 1-0 on Nov. 18 to move to 12-7-0 on the season, the Sabres have gone 7-17-5. They entered Monday tied with Carolina for last place in the East with 43 points, but they've played two fewer games than the Hurricanes.
Buffalo is also on a franchise-record 12-game road regulation losing streak, the longest such stretch for a team since the Chicago Blackhawks lost 16 in a row in regulation away from home during the 2003-04 season, according to STATS, LLC.
Though the NHL's single-season record of 37 consecutive regulation defeats on the road set by the 1974-75 Washington Capitals appears out of reach, the Sabres are within striking distance of their franchise record of 23 straight winless games on the road (15 losses and 8 ties in 1971-72).
"We've had to deal with a lot of different circumstances with injuries and guys coming in and out of the lineup, but right now we have enough guys in there to win games," captain Jason Pominville said. "It's been disappointing and tough.
"It's not easy having to talk everyday about it."
There have been a number of things that have contributed to the free fall. Injuries have plagued the team all season, and of the 26 goalies who have played 29 or more games, Ryan Miller's 3.15 goals-against average is the worst.
But Buffalo's inability to score has been the main culprit for the slide.
The Sabres' 115 goals (excluding two shootout-winning goals) are the fifth fewest in the league, and they've scored more than twice just seven times in their last 25 games.
"The frustration of scoring has led to some players cheating on the offensive side of the puck, which has led to poor defensive play," coach Lindy Ruff said.
During their current five-game skid, Buffalo has been outscored 23-7.
"It's not helping our game, and we've probably lost a lot of games because of our offense," Pominville said. "It's a little surprising. We haven't found a way. I think we've all had opportunities that we'd want back."
As the losses mount, so does the public's impatience with Ruff and general manager Darcy Regier. Fan support for them has plummeted for the duo that came into the organization in 1997, and there has been mounting pressure on owner Terry Pegula to get rid of either one or both.
Ruff shrugged off the criticism following Monday's practice.
"I'm not worried at all. ... I don't listen and I don't read," he said.
The Sabres will get some help when defenseman Christian Ehrhoff returns against the Devils after missing 11 games because of a rib injury.
"Hopefully we can get out of this hole," Ehrhoff said. "It's been tough to watch and see the guys being down and not be able to help. I'll try to maybe throw a joke out or something to get the guys going and try and get the confidence level up again."
Eberle, Letang headed to NHL All-Star game
NEW YORK (AP) — Edmonton Oilers forward Jordan Eberle and Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang have been added to the roster for Sunday's NHL All-Star game.
Minnesota Wild forward Nick Johnson will join the group of rookies participating in the All-Star Skills Competition.
Eberle and Letang replace injured Wild forward Mikko Koivu and Winnipeg Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien on the All-Star roster while Johnson replaces injured Oilers forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins among rookie selections.
Eberle leads the Oilers in goals (17), assists (27) and points (44) in 44 games. Eberle, the Oilers' first-round pick (22nd overall) in the 2008 draft, will be making his All-Star Game debut.
Letang has earned his fourth invitation to All-Star weekend. He played in the YoungStars game at Atlanta in 2008 during his first full season. He skated for the sophomores against the rookies in the 2009 YoungStars game at Montreal and made his All-Star game debut in 2011 at Raleigh, N.C.
The All-Star player fantasy draft will be held on Thursday to divide the All-Stars and rookies into two teams —Team Alfredsson, led by captain Daniel Alfredsson of the All-Star host Ottawa Senators and his assistant captain Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers; and Team Chara, featuring captain Zdeno Chara of the Boston Bruins and his assistant captain Joffrey Lupul of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Capitals' Ovechkin suspended three games
NEW YORK (AP) — Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin has been suspended for three games for a charging incident in which he launched himself to hit Pittsburgh defenseman Zbynek Michalek during Sunday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Penguins. The incident occurred at 4:05 of the second period. No penalty was assessed on the play.
Ovechkin had a goal and two assists in the game for Washington, which trails Florida by one point in the Southeast Division. He will eligible to return on Feb. 4 against Montreal.
Under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement, and based on his average annual salary, Ovechkin will forfeit $154,677.75.
Wild's Koivu will miss All-Star game
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota Wild center Mikko Koivu will miss the NHL All-Star game after his first career selection. The Wild announced Monday that Koivu won't participate in the annual exhibition, held this Sunday in Ottawa. Koivu hurt his left shoulder nine days ago after taking a hit during a game. The Wild captain was replaced on the All-Star roster by Edmonton Oilers right wing Jordan Eberle.
Wild right wing Nick Johnson was chosen Monday as an injury replacement in the rookie group taking part in the skills competition Saturday. Johnson has six goals and 10 assists in 44 games this season. He's 10th in scoring among NHL rookies. Johnson will fill in for Oilers center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who has also been out with a left shoulder injury.
Blackhawks F Toews out with injury
CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews (tayvz), leading the team with 27 goals this season, will miss Tuesday night's game against Nashville with an upper body injury. Toews was hurt in the second period of Saturday night's 5-2 loss at Nashville and did not play in the third period.
Coach Joel Quennville told reporters Monday that Toews might also miss the upcoming NHL All-Star game. The Blackhawks are already without injured Patrick Sharp in the highly competitive Central Division of the Western Conference. Toews also has 23 assists this season and is second on the team with 50 points, two behind Marian Hossa.
Columbus activates Umberger after missing five games
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The Columbus Blue Jackets have activated left wing R.J. Umberger off injured reserve and recalled left wing Dane Byers from their American Hockey League affiliate in Springfield, Mass.
Umberger has missed the last five games due to a hit to the head from Anaheim's Jean-Francois-Jacques on Jan. 8. The injury brought an end to Umberger's franchise-record streak of 288 consecutive games played. He has seven goals, 11 assists and 12 penalty minutes in 42 games this season. Byers is scoreless with 24 penalty minutes in five games this season.
