NHL Capsules: Datsyuk, Cleary carry Red Wings past Lightning
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Pavel Datsyuk scored twice, Danny Cleary had a goal and two assists and the Detroit Red Wings beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 6-2 on Thursday night.
Niklas Kronwall, Justin Abdelkader and Darren Helm also scored for the Red Wings, who have won three in a row and seven of 11. Jimmy Howard made 38 saves.
Tampa Bay got goals from Victor Hedman and Steve Downie. The Lightning are 5-3-1 during a 12-game homestand.
It was the first time that new Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman faced his old team. He played 22 seasons before spending five more as a vice president with Detroit.
Datsyuk extended the lead to 5-2 on his second goal of the game, at 11:49 of the third. An octopus — a tradition at Detroit's Joe Louis Arena — was thrown onto the ice after the goal.<
Predators 3, Canucks 1
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Nick Spaling and Mike Fisher scored 49 seconds apart in the second period, and Nashville beat Vancouver for its third victory in four games.
Martin Erat had a goal and an assist, and Fisher's goal was his first since he was traded to Nashville a week ago. Pekka Rinne stopped 35 shots, improving to 15-2-1 when his teammates score at least three goals.
The Predators began the night tied with four other teams for fourth place in the Western Conference.
Nashville evened the season series at a game apiece. Vancouver, which leads the West, remained the NHL's top team with 83 points.
Daniel Sedin scored a power-play goal for the Canucks, who were playing their third game in four nights. Kevin Bieksa was a scratch due to a broken bone in his left foot, their sixth defensemen out due to injury.
Sharks 3, Capitals 2
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Ryane Clowe and Dany Heatley scored third-period goals to help San Jose beat Washington for its 14th win in the last 15 meetings with the Capitals.
Joe Pavelski had a short-handed goal and Antti Niemi made 23 saves for the Sharks, who followed up last week's 2-0 win at Washington with another victory over the Caps.
Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom scored for the Capitals, who have lost four of five. One night after breaking out offensively in a 7-6 win at Anaheim, Washington once again struggled to score and now has 10 losses and one tie in its last 11 trips to San Jose. The Capitals have five goals in their past four losses.
Rangers 4, Kings 3, SO
NEW YORK (AP) — Henrik Lundqvist knocked Anze Kopitar's shootout shot over the net to earn his 200th NHL win and give the Rangers a victory over Los Angeles.
The Kings rallied twice in the third period to stretch their streak with at least one point to a team record-tying 11 games (8-0-3).
Erik Christensen and Mats Zuccarello scored on the Rangers' first two shootout attempts before Jarret Stoll got a shot past Lundqvist to send the tiebreaker into a third round. Jonathan Bernier poke-checked the puck off Wojtek Wolski's stick to keep the Kings alive, but Lundqvist turned aside Kopitar to give New York its second straight win after six consecutive losses.
Ryan Callahan had a goal and assist, and Marian Gaborik and Artem Anisimov both scored in the third for New York.
Los Angeles captain Dustin Brown scored two goals and Matt Greene had a rare one for the road-weary Kings, who haven't lost in regulation since Jan. 20.
Bruins 6, Islanders 3
UNIONDALE, N.Y. (AP) — Tuukka Rask stopped 34 shots and six Bruins scored as Boston snapped a three-game skid with a victory against New York.
Blake Wheeler, Mark Recchi, Gregory Campbell, David Krejci, Tyler Seguin and Milan Lucic scored for the Bruins.
New York's four-game winning streak came to a halt. John Tavares scored twice to give him 23 goals on the season and Josh Bailey also had a goal for the Islanders. Rookie Michael Grabner had his six-game goal streak snapped.
Nathan Lawson started in net for the Islanders and stopped 13 of 18 shots before Al Montoya came off the bench to finish with 15 saves.
Oilers 4, Canadiens 1
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Ales Hemsky scored twice to lead Edmonton over Montreal.
Jordan Eberle and Ryan Jones had third-period goals 15 seconds apart for the Oilers, who have won two straight at home following seven consecutive losses in Edmonton.
Jeff Halpern scored for the Canadiens, who have lost five of six. The Canadiens have dropped four straight and eight of nine in Edmonton, where they haven't won since Nov. 22, 2003.
Already short of experience on the blue line, Montreal lost defenseman James Wisniewski 7 minutes into the first when he was hit in the face with Taylor Hall's shot and did not return.
Coyotes 4, Thrashers 3
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Martin Hanzal scored the go-ahead goal late in the second period, Keith Yandle had three assists and Phoenix beat Atlanta for its sixth straight victory.
Phoenix, one victory short of its longest winning streak this season, leads the Pacific Division with 71 points.
The Coyotes came back from a 3-2 deficit. Lauri Korpikoski tied it with less than 5 minutes left in the second and Hanzal scored the deciding goal with 26 seconds remaining in the period.
Atlanta fell to 1-5-1 in its last seven games.
Blackhawks coach Quenneville undergoing tests
CHICAGO (AP) — Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville remained hospitalized Thursday because of gastrointestinal bleeding that was brought on by a small ulcer.
In a statement, team physician Dr. Michael Terry said Quenneville is expected to make a full recovery and be released in the next few days. The doctor said aspirin caused the problem.
Exactly when Quenneville will be back behind the bench remains unclear. The Blackhawks host Columbus on Friday.
Assistant coach Mike Haviland said Quenneville "was in really good spirits" when they spoke after Wednesday's 3-1 victory over Minnesota.
"He was joking and laughing on the phone," Haviland said after Thursday's practice. "So it was good to hear."
Quenneville started experiencing discomfort late Tuesday at his suburban Chicago home, went to the emergency room and was admitted early Wednesday. Haviland has been running the Blackhawks in his place.
The news that Quenneville was hospitalized sent a shiver through a team that's trying to claw its way into the playoffs after winning the Stanley Cup a year ago.
It didn't stop the Blackhawks from getting a much-needed win over Minnesota to start a three-game homestand.
"It's not a good thing that Joel's going through what he's going through, but we can kind of rally behind him," Patrick Sharp said. "We can kind of come together as a team here. It's an important time of the year. Games are running out and we need to win, so I thought the way we responded without him was a huge step forward."
Salary-cap issues forced the Blackhawks to make some big roster changes during the offseason, and they've been inconsistent all season, even though they kept core players like Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa.
Chicago had dropped six of eight and was coming off back-to-back shootout losses before beating the Wild. The Blackhawks prevailed behind a strong performance by goalie Corey Crawford and a tiebreaking goal from Troy Brouwer in which his centering pass went off a Minnesota defenseman and into the net.
That had to make Quenneville feel a little better even if Sharp joked: "I'm sure the staff at the hospital had to go in and tell him to quit yelling at the TV."
The Blackhawks were 11th in the compact Western Conference with 64 points, one behind Minnesota, after the win. And although the players gave Haviland good reviews, clearly they would like to have their coach back.
"You miss him, but Havy did great," Kane said. "It's almost like having Q's protege."
The 52-year-old Quenneville is 125-66-25 in three seasons with the Blackhawks. He ranks 10th in NHL history with 563 regular-season wins and is one of only two men to coach at least 1,000 games and play 800 in the league.
"It's a little weird not having Coach behind the bench," Kane said. "Havy did a really good job. I think a lot of guys thought he did a really good job. You want your main guy behind the bench. ... We'll get him back real soon."
Several players, including Kane and Sharp, sent Quenneville text messages.
"Been in that position before, where you're away from the team, and just to hear from guys in the organization is a good feeling," Sharp said. "Hopefully it lifted his spirits. I know he was happy with how we finished the game off in the last two periods. He's always got something to say about the game."
-- Andrew Seligman
Bettman won't debate Lemieux on discipline
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — NHL commissioner Gary Bettman will not get into a public debate with Mario Lemieux over league discipline.
Lemieux, the Pittsburgh Penguins owner, recently said that the NHL failed in its punishment of the New York Islanders following a fight-filled game between the teams last Friday — and went so far as to question whether he wanted to stay in the league.
"I have the utmost respect and regard for Mario Lemieux, but we're not going to engage in a public debate on this," Bettman said before Thursday night's game between Detroit and Tampa Bay. "We are very comfortable with the way the league responded to Friday night's game."
The NHL suspended New York forwards Trevor Gillies for nine games and Matt Martin for four and hit the team with a $100,000 fine, saying the Islanders "must bear some responsibility for their failure to control their players."
Pittsburgh forward Eric Godard was the only member of the Penguins' organization to be punished by the NHL. He received an automatic 10-game suspension because he left the bench to join a fight between New York's Micheal Haley and Penguins goalie Brent Johnson.
Also, Bettman said no decisions have been made on next season's Winter Classic, and that discussions won't begin until after the upcoming Hertiage Classic.
"We're going through an incredible cycle now of events," he said.
The Red Wings could receive future consideration to host the Winter Classic.
"Would we like to do an outdoor game in Michigan? The answer is, we know it's a great hockey market," Bettman said. "The logistics, the specifics, as they say, the devil is in the details."
Bettman said "absolutely" that a southern U.S. franchise could someday be the Winter Classic road team.
The commissioner said feedback has been positive about this year's All-Star game — which had a new format in which team captains select players in a draft.
"We, actually, haven't sat down to have a conversation about what we can do to make it even better or what changes we might want to make," Bettman said.
The ongoing Phoenix Coyotes situation is still moving toward the closing of a sale from the NHL to Chicago businessman Matt Hulsizer.
"We're hoping Phoenix will be resolved shortly," Bettman said. "It continues to be on track."
Top 'Jackets center out two to three weeks
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Just when the Columbus Blue Jackets needed him the most, top-line center Derick Brassard will be lost for two to three weeks with an injured hand.
The club, battling to remain in the Western Conference playoff race, placed Brassard on injured reserve on Thursday.
"It's too bad because Derick's been playing so well for us, really starting to come into his own as a top-flight centerman," coach Scott Arniel said after Thursday's practice.
Brassard was injured early in the first period of Wednesday's night's 4-3 shootout loss at home against the Los Angeles Kings. That defeat garnered the Blue Jackets a point, but left them six points out of the eighth and final playoff spot in the West.
The rest of his teammates felt the impact of the loss of Brassard, who has career highs with 14 goals and 25 assists in 57 games.
"He's been playing really well," defenseman Kris Russell said. "The puck seems to go through him when plays are being made. So that's a huge loss."
Goalie Steve Mason said others will have to pick up the slack.
"He's been on a bit of a roll," Mason said. "When he gets the confidence he's a great player. We'll have to find a way to work around it, but hopefully he'll have a quick recovery."
The sixth overall pick in the 2006 draft, the 23-year-old Brassard is tied for the club lead with five power-play goals, is tied for second in assists and in game-winning goals (three), and is third in both goals and points.
General manager Scott Howson said he did not plan to make any call-ups or trades to fill the hole left by Brassard's absence.
"We're always going to try and improve the team," he said, "but I don't foresee anything stopgap, no."
He said with veteran Ethan Moreau returning after missing 16 games with a rib injury, and Derek Dorsett coming back after being out a couple of games since sustaining a head injury last week, the club will get by with its current personnel.
Howson also said that forward R.J. Umberger, who sustained a lower-body injury in Wednesday night's game, was expected to play when Columbus plays at the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday night.
-- Rusty Miller
AP source: Pegula set to take over Sabres
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — The NHL's board of governors is voting on the sale of the Buffalo Sabres to Terry Pegula, putting the Pennsylvania billionaire in a position to have control of the franchise by next week.
Without providing an exact timeline, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said Thursday that "everything's on schedule," and that he expects the sale to be completed "rather soon."
A person familiar with the sale process told The Associated Press that the league's approval could come as early as Friday, and that Pegula would then close on the $189 million transaction by Tuesday or Wednesday.
The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the NHL has not announced an official timetable. Bettman declined to provide a deadline on when the board of governors' vote would be completed, but is confident the transaction will be approved. He said the governors are voting by fax, which is allowed under league bylaws because their next meeting is not scheduled until June.
"It's probably going to happen rather soon since it carries the recommendation of the executive committee," Bettman said. "Nobody in Buffalo needs to worry about the future of this franchise. It will be in good hands as it has been."
Bettman spoke during a telephone conference call promoting USA Hockey's hockey weekend across America.
Outgoing Sabres owner Tom Golisano agreed to sell the sell the franchise to Pegula — pending league approval — earlier this month, ending about three months of negotiations.
Pegula has ties to western New York as his wife, Kim, is from Rochester, and they previously lived in Orchard Park, a Buffalo suburb, and Olean, a 90-minute drive south of the city. As part of the deal, Pegula has committed to keeping the franchise in Buffalo.
He is the founder and former president of the energy company East Resources Inc., a major player in Pennsylvania's burgeoning natural gas industry that was sold to Royal Dutch Shell PLC for $4.7 billion last year.
Pegula has declined comment until the sale is completed. He has been described as a fan of the team and also has a deep interest in hockey.
In September, the Pegulas made the largest private gift in Penn State history, donating $88 million to fund a new multipurpose arena and help upgrade the men's hockey program. The Nittany Lions will make the move to Division I hockey in the 2012-13 season.
Pegula, 59, is a Penn State graduate and has an estimated worth of $3 billion. He was most recently ranked 110th on Forbes magazine's list of wealthiest Americans.
Bettman noted that Pegula has been a longtime Sabres season-ticket holder and had approached Golisano on several occasions to buy the franchise before last fall.
Bettman also praised Golisano and minority owner Larry Quinn for purchasing the Sabres out of bankruptcy in 2003 to prevent the team from folding or relocating.
"Tom Golisano and Larry Quinn did a terrific job of redeveloping and re-establishing the franchise coming out of an extremely difficult time," Bettman said. "So this will be another step in the franchise's future stability, not that it was ever unstable."
The sale should be completed in time for Pegula to oversee the Sabres plans in leading up to the NHL trading deadline on Feb. 28. Pegula has already played a role in those plans. In announcing the sale, Golisano said he and Pegula agreed on a short list of players who wouldn't be traded.
After a slow start to the season, the Sabres have rallied back into the playoff picture by going 13-5-2 in their past 20 games following a 2-1 loss to Toronto on Wednesday. Buffalo is ninth in the Eastern Conference standings, two points behind Carolina, which holds the eighth and final playoff spot with a little under two months left in the season.
Pegula also will have to determine whether to retain general manager Darcy Regier, who signed a two-year contract extension earlier this season, and whether to re-sign coach Lindy Ruff, who is in the final year of his contract.
Ruff has maintained he wants to stay, though he did not accept a contract extension offered to him last fall. He is the NHL's only coach to win 500 games with the same team.
-- John Wawrow
Filmmaker Rollins interested in Thrashers
ATLANTA (AP) — Los Angeles-based filmmaker and Atlanta native Stephen Rollins said Thursday he has well-funded support in his ongoing interest to purchase the Thrashers.
Rollins said he is working with a large investment firm which has interest in "various teams," including the Thrashers. He didn't name the firm.
"We do have a group that's assembled and we're looking at all of our options, including Atlanta," Rollins told The Associated Press. "We're looking at various teams. ... We're hoping to move forward in the near future. With the state of the economy, nobody wants to rush into anything."
The cautious approach of Rollins' group could be a problem, because Thrashers' co-owner Michael Gearon Jr. said this week the ownership group urgently needs new investors and improved fan support if the team is to remain in Atlanta. The Thrashers rank 28th in attendance.
Gearon and the other owners, who also own the NBA Atlanta Hawks and operating rights to Philips Arena, claim to have lost more than $130 million since 2005. Gearon didn't return calls to the AP on Wednesday and Thursday.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said Thursday there are no plans to do anything with the Thrashers right now. He said the situation might have to be dealt with in the future.
"It's a struggle right now for them with respect to both of the franchises," Bettman said in a conference call. "The basketball team isn't in much different shape than the hockey team. With all the problems that they've had and the ownership issues that they've had, maybe it's not a surprise.
"Hopefully they can find a way to right it, but it has been a struggle for them."
Rollins said he has met with Bettman and said the commissioner stressed he wants the team to remain in Atlanta. Rollins said he also met with a group representing the Thrashers' owners.
When Rollins first expressed interest last year in purchasing the Thrashers, he spoke of himself as the potential lead owner. On Thursday, he said he has added "one of the largest investment and hedge fund groups around" to his efforts.
While Rollins said his primary interest is the Thrashers, he said the investment group has a broader focus.
"My heart is with Atlanta, being my hometown team," Rollins said. "We're just looking at all the options, talking with various people around the league about teams. I've been keeping my ear out on the situation in Atlanta. I know they're wanting to do something pretty quickly."
Rollins, the head of Lightning Pictures, said he wants to see the Thrashers remain in Atlanta. As an Atlanta resident in the 1990s, he was part of a grass-roots effort to bring the Thrashers to the city as an expansion franchise. He said he remains a fan and often wears his Thrashers jersey to meetings in Los Angeles.
"I don't want to see them leave and I would love to do anything I can as one of the owners," he said. "I want to see that situation be turned around. Atlanta has shown you give them a good product on ice, they'll come out and support the team. I have that firm belief and I've had that conversation with the league."
Rollins said his group is cautiously seeking "adequate data" on the team's finances.
"The only issue now is getting correct numbers because we've gotten like five different sets of figures," Rollins said, adding the investment group's "CEO wants the numbers certified."
He has said he would be interested in remaining part of a new ownership group.
Gearon and Bruce Levenson are the lead owners in the ownership group after the two bought out Boston-based Steve Belkin's 30-percent share late last year.
When asked if he is optimistic a local buyer for the Thrashers can be found, Bettman said "I'm hopeful."
-- Charles Odum
Canucks lose another defenseman to injury
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Vancouver Canucks are running out of defensemen after losing Kevin Bieksa to a broken left foot.
Bieksa was hurt blocking a shot Tuesday in Minnesota, but finished the game before tests Wednesday revealed the injury. X-rays were negative, but Bieksa said Thursday in Nashville that a CT scan showed a small break. He will be re-evaluated when the Canucks return to Vancouver and says there's no timeline for his return yet.
"I kind of knew. I had a feeling," Bieksa told reporters after the morning skate. "We get hit in the foot probably thousands of times with pucks and you kind of have a feeling when there's something wrong so it didn't feel like the usual hit that hurt."
The Canucks called up rookie Evan Oberg from the American Hockey League to take his place in Nashville on Thursday night.
Bieksa is the fourth Canucks' defenseman in the last five games to get hurt, and the sixth to be knocked out of action the last three weeks.
"It's one of those things you can't really control. It's part of the game. It's unfortunate that the string of bad luck that we're having around here, especially on the back end. But not going to sulk for too long. I'm going try and stay in the best shape so when my foot's healed I can step right back in," Bieksa said.
Devils G Brodeur returns to practice
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur returned to practice on Thursday for the first time since spraining his knee Feb. 6, but he would not set a timetable for his return.
The 38-year-old Brodeur injured the knee in a 4-1 win in Montreal and underwent an MRI that revealed a sprained medical collateral ligament. Doctors said that Brodeur would be out indefinitely and he was subsequently placed on the injured reserve list.
But Thursday, Brodeur was on the ice for approximately 15 minutes during end-to-end open ice drills, then stood at center ice and watched Johan Hedberg take the net during specialty drills. Brodeur returned to the crease for more scrimmaging, showing lateral movement and dropping to his knees and back up rather freely. He then pushed himself through skating drills.
Blue Jackets put RW Derek Dorsett on IR
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The Columbus Blue Jackets have placed right wing Derek Dorsett on injured reserve and recalled defenseman John Moore from their AHL affiliate in Springfield, Mass. General manager Scott Howson announced the moves on Thursday.
Dorsett sustained a head injury during a fall in the game against Colorado on Feb. 11. He practiced with the team on Thursday and is listed as day to day. Moore, the club's first-round draft pick in 2009, is making his second trip to the big club. Playing in his first professional season, he made his NHL debut on Feb. 5 and then was sent down earlier this week.
The team is already without center Derek Brassard, who will miss two or three weeks because of a hand injury.
Halak placed on injured reserve
ST. LOUIS (AP) — St. Louis Blues goalie Jaroslav Halak was placed on injured reserve with a right hand ailment. Goalie Ben Bishop was recalled from Peoria of the AHL as insurance behind Halak's backup, Ty Conklin. The 25-year-old Halak has played in 43 games with a 19-17-6 record, 2.63 goals-against average and four shutouts. He also missed the first game after the All-Star break with a shoulder injury.
St. Louis was 13th in the Western Conference with 59 points, nine points out of the final playoff spot, and have back-to-back games Friday at Buffalo and Saturday at home against Anaheim. The 24-year-old Bishop, a St. Louis native, is 15-12-1 with a 2.52 goals-against average at Peoria.
Ducks send pick to Senators for LW Ruutu
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — The Anaheim Ducks have acquired left wing Jarkko Ruutu from the Ottawa Senators in exchange for a sixth-round selection in the this year's NHL entry draft.
Ducks general manager Bob Murray says Ruutu is the energetic, gritty player the team was seeking. Ruutu had two goals, eight assists and 59 penalty minutes in 50 games with the Senators this season. He's also played for Vancouver and Pittsburgh in his career.
