Missed Opportunities

Monday's Game of the Night:

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Coming into the game, Detroit was sitting in the 8th and final playoff spot in the Western Conference with 78 points. On their tails, the Calgary Flames, 1 point behind them and looking to capitalize on home-ice a day after losing to the Canucks in Vancouver.

It looked good for Calgary's "C of Red" right off the bat. Craig Conroy scored 1:47 into the tilt to give the Flames a 1-0 lead. Unfortunately for them, that was the only puck that found its way past Jimmy Howard.

Late in the 2nd period, with the Flames still up 1-0, Calgary's Curtis Glencross was awarded a penalty shot after being hooked from behind on a short-handed breakaway. He couldn't convert, and the Red Wings' Pavel Datsyuk scored on the same power play 40 seconds later to tie it at 1.

The Flames had another great chance to get their 2nd goal of the game and take the lead early in the third on a 4-minute power play. They tallied only 2 shots in those 4 minutes and ended the game 0-for-3 on the power play.

With 1:19 to go in regulation, Tomas Holmstrom deflected a Johan Franzen slapshot past Flames' goalie Miikka Kiprusoff to give Detroit a 2-1 lead and the win. Kiprusoff ended the game with 26 saves and was selected as the first star. Red Wings' goalie Jimmy Howard was the second star, finishing with 22 saves.

The win gives 8th-place Detroit a 3-point lead over 9th-place Calgary with 13 games remaining for each team.

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Bruins 2 Devils 3

New Jersey scored 3 goals in the first period--including one coming from a pass by goalie Martin Brodeur to spring David Clarkson to a breakaway and a goal--and held off the Bruins to move within 2 points of Pittsburgh for the Atlantic Division lead with 14 games remaining and a game-in-hand on the Penguins. Boston currently sits in 8th in the East with 72 points and failed on a chance to take a 3-point lead over the 9th-place Rangers.

Oilers 3 Blue Jackets 5

The battle of the last-place teams in the Western Conference proved to be a pretty good one. Kristian Huselius had a goal and 3 assists and Columbus finished with 5 different goal-scorers. They have 67 points and are 14th in the West. Edmonton is last place in the league, with 49 points, and are 9 points behind the next-highest team, Toronto. The Oilers are 8-23-3 on the road, and 1-14-1 on the road in their last 16 tries. They travel to Minnesota tomorrow.

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Tuesday's schedule (times ET):

Bruins @ Hurricanes, 7:00

Sabres @ Thrashers, 7:00

Canadiens @ Rangers, 7:30, Versus

Maple Leafs @ Senators, 7:30

Coyotes @ Lightning, 7:30

Capitals @ Panthers, 7:30, CSN

Avalanche @ Blues, 8:00

Flyers @ Predators, 8:00

Oilers @ Wild, 8:00

Sharks @ Stars, 8:30

Islanders @ Canucks, 10:00

Ovie Suspended; Versus is Back

Alex Ovechkin has been suspended for 2 games by the NHL for his hit on Blackhawks' Brian Campbell on Sunday. Campbell is reported to have suffered a broken collarbone and broken ribs and could be out the remainder of the season. Ovechkin will miss Tuesday's game at Florida and Thursday's game at Carolina, and is eligible for Saturday's game at Tampa Bay. This was his third game misconduct of the season and it is now his second suspension.

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For those of you that have DirecTV and haven't been able to see NHL games on Versus this season--i.e. me--because of the little scuffle between Comcast (which owns Versus) and DirecTV, you're now in luck. The two sides have reached an agreement and Versus is back on the DirecTV lineup starting today just in time for the final month of the season and thankfully in time for the playoffs.

Sunday Spectacular

Another full day of hockey this Sunday as almost every one of the 10 games affected the tight playoff race. We'll get to what each of these games meant in terms of the standings, starting with Sunday's Game of the Night (or Day):

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This week's NBC Game of the Week proved to be another thriller, although it didn't start out that way. The game's main star was ejected in the first period and it looked like it was going to be all Chicago. But the Capitals once again showed why they have the most powerful offense in the NHL, even without Alex Ovechkin.

Ovechkin was thrown out of the game after dangerously pushing Blackhawks' defenseman Brian Campbell into the boards and receiving a 5-minute major. Was it a dirty hit? It'll depend on who you ask. To me, it seemed like a play where Ovechkin should have been just a bit more careful, but there was definitely no intent to injure. Campbell was injured, however, and did not return, so the game misconduct was probably deserved. I do not think it deserves a suspension.

The Blackhawks took a 2-0 lead into the 2nd and a 3-0 lead into the 3rd before it all fell apart. Chicago had played the day before in Philadelphia, and it started to show. The Capitals kicked into gear and scored 3 times in a span of 2:16 before the period was 8 minutes old. Brooks Laich started the scoring on a power play, with Nicklas Backstrom and Eric Fehr tallying 13 seconds apart to tie the game at 3.

Backstrom then notched his 28th goal of the season in overtime to win it for Washington, 4-3, capping yet another hard-fought comeback.

Chicago picks up one point Sunday after losing to Philadelphia on Saturday with 3 seconds left in regulation, 3-2. They stay 2nd in the Western Conference, with a comfortable 13-point lead in the Central Division.

The Capitals become the first team to reach 100-points, as their 101 has them atop the Presidents' Trophy race for best record in the NHL by 5 points over San Jose. They have a 14-point lead over Pittsburgh in the Eastern Conference and remain the only team to have clinched a playoff spot so far.

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Flyers 1 Rangers 3

A huge win for New York, as they remain 9th in the East with 71 points, but move within 1 point of the Bruins for the 8th and final playoff spot. Philadelphia sits in the 6-spot with 76 points.

Avalanche 5 Stars 3

Colorado's impressive season continues, as they sit 6th in the West with 84 points and a comfortable 7-point edge over the 9th place Flames. Dallas needs every point they can get in their final 14 games of the year, as they sit 12th in the West and 7 points out.

Predators 3 Kings 2

Nashville continues their dominance over the Kings as they come back from a 2-1 deficit in the 3rd period. The Predators, 81 points, sit in 7th in the West and the win now has them 4 points from 9th. The Kings, 85 points, fail to keep pace with Phoenix as L.A. is now 4 points behind the Coyotes for 4th in the West.

Maple Leafs 1 Islanders 4

Toronto falls for the 34th time in regulation this season, the most in the Eastern Conference. They are last in the East with 58 points. The Islanders haven't called it off yet, but they are currently 13th, with 65 points, and 7 points back.

Coyotes 3 Thrashers 2 (SO)

Phoenix has now won 5-straight and continue to be one of the best stories in the league this season. They have 89 points and the 5th-best record in the NHL. They sit 4th in the West and are 7 points behind San Jose for 1st in the Pacific Division. Atlanta picks up a point after failing to do so in 5 straight games, dropping them to 11th in the East, and 5 points out of 8th.

Penguins 2 Lightning 1

A Tampa Bay win could have brought them to within 2 points of the final playoff spot in the East, but they remain in 10th with 68 points and 4 points out. Pittsburgh sits 2nd in the East, 4 points ahead of New Jersey for the Atlantic Division lead.

Blues 2 Wild 4

Both teams need points badly in the final stretch. St Louis' loss keeps them 10th in the West and 5 points out, while Minnesota's win pushes them to 11th in the West and 6 points out.

Sharks 2 Ducks 4

San Jose stays atop the West with 96 points, and Anaheim is now 8 points out of a playoff spot in the West, currently in 13th place.

Flames 1 Canucks 3

Calgary could have moved into the final playoff spot in the West with a win, but they remain in 9th with 77 points and 1 point behind Detroit. Vancouver has a 5-point lead in the Northwest Division and sits 3rd in the West.

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Monday's schedule:

Bruins @ Devils, 7:00 ET, Versus

Oilers @ Blue Jackets, 7:00 ET

Red Wings @ Flames, 9:30 ET