NHL Capsules: Myers' 4-point game leads Sabres over Stars
BUFFALO, N.Y. — As tall as he is, Tyler Myers' stock on the Buffalo Sabres grew even larger after the rookie defenseman enjoyed a career-best performance.
At 6-foot-8, Myers had a goal and three assists to spark the Sabres' sluggish offense in a 5-3 win over the Dallas Stars on Wednesday night. Aside from helping Buffalo score five goals for the first time in 18 games, the rookie of the year candidate helped the team regain the top spot in the Northeast Division.
"He's been an important piece to our team," coach Lindy Ruff said of the player who celebrated his 20th birthday last month. "I thought even in the third period, he was just having fun playing."
It was an enjoyable night for Myers, who opened the scoring in the first minute with a shot that deflected in off of three bodies. He then played a role in securing the victory, getting an assist on Thomas Vanek's goal that broke a 3-3 tie midway through the second period.
For Myers, who leads Buffalo defensemen with 36 points (nine goals, 27 assists), all that mattered was helping his team extend its winning streak to three — the Sabres' longest since a six-gamer ended in early January.
"We don't want to stop there, we want to make it four," Myers said. "It's always nice to have a breakout game like that when you get that many goals."
Derek Roy, who scored into an empty net, and rookie Mark Mancari had a goal and assist each, while Jason Pominville also scored for Buffalo (36-20-9), which moved two points ahead of idle Ottawa in the Northeast.
Jamie Benn had a goal and assist, and Steve Ott and Toby Petersen also scored for the Stars, 1-4 in their past five games. The Stars (29-25-12), who return to Dallas to open a six-game homestand, are 10th in the Western Conference, five points behind Calgary for the eighth and final playoff berth.
No need to remind Ott how important the Stars' upcoming stretch is.
"It's our season," Ott said. "If we don't get the ship in the right direction, you might as well call it a season."
The Stars were resilient in matching the Sabres goal for goal through the first period, which ended tied at 3. The trouble began in the second period, when Dallas failed to generate much offense in being outshot 15-5.
"The game was there," coach Marc Crawford said. "Our chances were spectacular in the first period. For some reason, we stopped doing those things and we tried to overcomplicate it."
The Stars were eventually outshot 43-20 overall, putting far too much pressure on Marty Turco to bail them out a second time after the goalie stopped 49 shots in a 4-3 shootout win at Washington on Monday.
Turco particularly had no chance on Vanek's go-ahead goal, which was set up after Myers' shot from the point was tipped and deflected high off the glass before landing behind the Stars net. That's where Mancari collected it and smartly fed a wide-open Vanek, who roofed a shot over Turco from atop the crease.
Sabres goalie Miller was hardly tested in stopping 17 shots. But his best came with 5:11 left when he stopped Trevor Daley's initial shot from the right circle and then stretched back with his stick to stop the puck from bouncing in after the rebound deflected off a player in front.
"It was good to see the guys put some pucks in and get rewarded for their effort," Miller said. "It was a pretty complete game."
NOTES: The Stars were minus RW Jere Lehtinen (illness), while center Brian Sutherby was scratched despite being activated earlier in the day from injured reserve after missing 10 games with a shoulder injury. ... Steve Mesler, a member of the U.S. four-man bobsled team that won a gold medal at the Vancouver Games last month, dropped the puck in a ceremonial pregame faceoff. Mesler is from Buffalo and, earlier in the day, was awarded the key to the city by Mayor Byron Brown. ... The Stars have not won at Buffalo — going 0-4-1 — since Brett Hull scored the Stanley Cup-clinching goal in a 2-1 triple-overtime win on June 19, 1999. ... With an assist on Benn's goal, Mike Modano reached 1,354th career points to move into a tie with Brendan Shanahan for 23rd on the NHL list.
Stars RW Lehtinen misses game due to illness
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Dallas right wing Jere Lehtinen missed the Stars' game against the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday because of an illness.
The Stars also played Wednesday without defenseman Nicklas Grossman, who missed his second game with a sore back.
Dallas activated center Brian Sutherby from injured reserve earlier in the day, but he did not play against Buffalo. Sutherby missed his 11th straight game since hurting his shoulder Jan. 31.
The Stars are completing a three-game trip before returning to Dallas to open a six-game homestand that begins against Los Angeles on Friday night.
Crosby's gold-medal Olympic stick, glove found
TORONTO — The stick and glove Sidney Crosby used to give Canada its Olympic gold medal are back where they belong.
Crosby's missing gear was on its way to the Pittsburgh Penguins star on Wednesday. Hockey Canada says the gear was misplaced rather than stolen, with both items ending up in the wrong place in the process of packing and shipping equipment after the Olympic final.
The stick and glove got lost in the shuffle after the frenzy of Crosby's overtime goal for a 3-2 win against the United States at the Vancouver Olympics on Feb. 28.
"I'm grateful to everyone who took the time and effort to get my equipment back for me," Crosby said the Penguins Web site. "These items are irreplaceable and I'm happy to have them back."
Crosby's stick was located in Toronto as part of a shipment heading to the International Ice Hockey Federation Hall of Fame in St. Petersburg, Russia. The stick was being sent to the IIHF in the mistaken belief that it was not the game stick.
The IIHF helped locate the stick and provided photographs to Crosby, who confirmed that it was the one he used to score on U.S. goalie Ryan Miller.
The missing glove was discovered by Team Canada teammate Patrice Bergeron. The players sat beside each other in the dressing room and one of Crosby's gloves was inadvertently placed in the Boston Bruin player's equipment bag.
Hockey Canada executive Scott Salmond led the search for the equipment.
"With everyone's co-operation, we were able to locate these items and are pleased to be able to return the stick and glove to its rightful owner," Salmond said.
Hockey Canada said the items were en route to Crosby. There was no immediate word on his plans for the equipment.
After the gear went missing, an investigation was launched and Reebok put up a $10,000 reward for the stick.
"I told Patrice that we should split it," Salmond said, joking.
Reebok issued a brief statement saying "details of the reward distribution" will be announced Thursday.
This isn't the first time some of Crosby's gear has vanished.
In 2005, his jersey went missing after Canada's gold medal win over Russia at the world junior hockey championship in Grand Forks, N.D. It was found in a mailbox outside a post office in Lachute, Quebec.
Also Wednesday, Crosby announced he was donating the $20,000 Olympic medal bonus to his foundation, which provides financial help to local charities in Nova Scotia.
Bell Canada is matching Crosby's donation.
NHL GMs propose rule change on hits to head
BOCA RATON, Fla. — NHL general managers will recommend a rule change on blindside hits to the head, looking to protect players and punish those responsible in a game that has become faster and rougher.
The unanimous decision Wednesday came at the end of three days of meetings in which player head injuries was the predominant issue.
The GMs will recommend to the competition committee that referees call a minor or major penalty for any hit where the primary point of contact is the head. Such a violation would be reviewed for possibly further discipline.
"This is a great next step to take these types of hits out of our game and to deal with the perpetrators appropriately," Florida Panthers general manager Randy Sexton said.
The competition committee will make its review during the NHL finals. The committee is made up of five players, five GMs and Philadelphia Flyers owner Ed Snider.
If approved, the proposal would go to the board of governors for ratification. The players already have signaled support and the new rule — yet to be given a specific name — could take effect next season.
The general managers also agreed to send to the competition committee a proposal suggesting a tiebreaking format for the playoffs, favoring regulation and overtime wins and removing shootout wins from the total.
Colin Campbell, the NHL director for hockey operations, said it would be too difficult to adopt the rule on hits to the head this season because players and officials need to be educated about it.
"We're we are going is taking a completely legal hit now, with the shoulder, and saying from a certain aspect in the future, next year, that's going to be an illegal hit if delivered to the head," Campbell said. "Part two of that, which is a huge statement in the game, we're shifting some of the responsibility from the player getting hit to the player delivering the hit, which was never part of the game.
"You grew up you always had to have your head up, you'd get crap from your dad if you got hit when you were watching your pass. But now there's some responsibility on the guy delivering the hit."
The discussions this week largely were an outgrowth of a hit to Panthers left wing David Booth this season. Booth was taken off the rink in a stretcher after a hit by Flyers captain Mike Richards on Oct. 24. Booth missed 45 days because of a concussion and is playing again.
"I don't think it's a cultural shift at all," Sexton said. "Hockey is a physical game and we want to maintain the physicality, but we want clean physical play. We want to maintain the integrity of our game."
The general managers contend the players would support the proposal as a step to make the game safer.
"This will never alleviate the problem because whenever you have a contact sport injuries can take place," said Lou Lamoriello, the general manager of the New Jersey Devils. " It's the same thing like quarterbacks in football — they're still going to get hit, but it's when they're getting hit and how they're getting hit and that's exactly what my analogy is with this.
"We're putting in preventative medicine, and in my opinion it will go through and the players won't have a problem with this at all."
Thrashers recall 48-year-old Chris Chelios
ATLANTA — The Atlanta Thrashers have a newcomer in 48-year-old defenseman Chris Chelios, an 11-time All-Star.
Chelios has played in more games than any other American-born NHL player, and he joins the Thrashers after getting five goals and 17 assists in 46 games with Chicago of the AHL. The team recalled Chelios on Wednesday.
The Thrashers are looking for Chelios to provide a spark and help snap a three-game losing streak. Atlanta plays at Columbus on Thursday night.
Chelios has played 25 NHL seasons, winning three Stanley Cups and three Norris Trophies as the league's top defenseman.
"Chris has been an outstanding leader and mentor for our young players in Chicago and his level of play has made him deserving of this opportunity," said Thrashers general manager Don Waddell. "He's a tremendous competitor who strengthens our group of defensemen and instantly adds a veteran presence to our locker room."
Chelios is the second-oldest to play in the NHL. Only Gordie Howe, who played at 52, was older.
"I'll be satisfied to be the oldest American," Chelios said last year after ending his 10 years with the Detroit Red Wings.
Chelios was limited to 28 games with Detroit during the 2008-09 regular season because of a broken leg suffered during an exhibition game. He played in six games during the playoffs.
He has 948 points in his career with Detroit, the Chicago Blackhawks and Montreal. He has appeared in an NHL-record 266 Stanley Cup playoff games and is a three-time captain for the U.S. Olympic team.
Hurricanes agree to terms with Lawson
RALEIGH, N.C. — The Carolina Hurricanes have agreed to terms with former Notre Dame defenseman Kyle Lawson on a two-year, entry-level deal.
Lawson, selected in the seventh round of the 2005 draft, recently completed his senior season for the Irish. He would earn $500,000 on the NHL level and $50,000 on the American Hockey League level in 2010-11, and $525,000 on the NHL level and $50,000 on the AHL level the following season. He also gets an $80,000 signing bonus.
The 23-year-old will join Carolina's AHL affiliate in Albany for the remainder of this season on an amateur tryout contract.
Court upholds $26m award against Sabres owner
LOS ANGELES — A state appeals court has upheld a $26 million award in a fraud lawsuit against the owner of the NHL's Buffalo Sabres and a company he founded.
The court in Los Angeles on Tuesday affirmed previous jury verdicts against Tom Golisano, Rapid Payroll Inc. and others. Rapid licensed software to payroll processing businesses. In 2001, it abruptly canceled the license for a Palm Desert firm called Computer Payroll Co.
The lawsuit alleges breach of contract, claiming the cancellation was made after Rapid was acquired by a firm called Paychex and was aimed at destroying a Paychex rival. Paychex was founded by Golisano.
A call seeking comment from an attorney for the defendants wasn't immediately returned Wednesday.
Sedins give $1.5 million to children's hospital
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Vancouver Canucks stars Daniel and Henrik Sedin have donated $1.5 million to help build a new BC Children's Hospital.
The Swedish twins, who've played for the NHL club for a decade, made their gift to support the hospital's Campaign for BC Children and specifically to the intensive care unit and diagnostics and imaging area in the new hospital.
