(courtesy of Pawel Dwulit/Associated Press)
Having spent time in Toronto, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, and Carolina the Poni Express was routed to New Jersey Friday night as the Hurricanes dealt Alexei Ponikarovsky to the Devils for fourth-round draft pick and an AHLer. The 31-year-old Kiev native has become something of a journeyman going to his fourth team since 2010.
Read more…
(courtesy of Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
“For me, six times was a charm.”…These must be the words, courtesy of My Cousin Vinny, that were replaying in Sergei Samsonov’s head when he got the phone call from Jim Rutherford. It’s been quite the roller coaster ride for the once highly sought after, Samsonov. After his impressive rookie campaign, Samsonov followed up the next two years with consistent numbers, and then exploded onto the scene with 70+ points.
Read more…
(courtesy of Getty Images)
The A-Train has been forced to temporarily hit the breaks as word comes from the NHL hierarchy that New Jersey’s Anton Volchenkov has been given a 3 game suspension. The defenseman is suspended for his elbow on Carolina Hurricanes Zach Boychuk midway through the second period of last nights 3-2 Devils win. He will now be on head coach Jacques Lemaire’s naughty list even more so after receiving two (and only) other penalties in the game.
Read more…
(courtesy of the AP)
After battling a nagging groin injury in the beginning of the season and being rotated in and out of the line-up with Michal Neuvirth it appears Semyon Varlamov is finally finding his game. Varly made 25 saves for his second shutout of the season against the Montreal Canadiens last night to give head coach Bruce Boudreau a mighty hard task on who to start for the Winter Classic on New Year’s Day.
Read more…
(courtesy of ALEXANDER DEMIANCHUK/REUTERS)
It appears Evgeni Nabokov’s stint back in the motherland is over as the four-year $24 million contract has been terminated by SKA St.Petersburg earlier today. Nabokov signed the contract with the intent of finishing up his career back in his adopted home country after being cut loose by the San Jose Sharks due to cap limitations. The 35-year-old netminder was the backbone to the only team he knew in the NHL and holds every major record for goalies in team history.
Read more…
(photo courtesy of LTD)
Despite being coaxed back into joining the Carolina Hurricanes after jumping ship to the KHL, Anton Babchuk’s second stint with the Canes is nothing more as the 26-year-old defenseman was dealt yesterday to the Calgary Flames along with Tom Kostopoulos in exchange for Brett Sutter and Ian White.
A native of Kiev, Ukraine, Babchuk spent three seasons in Raleigh before departing for Russia’s Avangard Omsk before being lured back to Carolina for a one-year $1.4 million contract. In 17 games this year he has only scored 8 points and is a -4 +/-. Babchuk will now be with his third NHL team having started his career in Chicago in 2003-04. In 185 career he has scored 26 goals and has 43 assists for a total of 69 points. Despite being born in Ukraine, Babchuk has opted to play for Russia making his national team debut in 2000.
Read more…
(Courtesy of The Canadian Press/Pawel Dwulit)
On Saturday night in Ottawa Alexei Kovalev became just the 82nd player in NHL history to reach the 400 career goal plateau. Kovalev notched three goals on the night against the lowly Carolina Hurricanes halting a 16 game skid without finding the back of the net in the process.
Kovalev got the Sens on the board in the first period redirecting Nick Folignos pass behind Manny Legace. Career goal 400 came with the score tied 2-2 in the second period with Kovalev’s shot deflecting off Carolina defenseman Jay Harrison’s skate.
He would add an empty-net goal to cap off his hat-trick and sealing the victory for the senators. Kovalev became the first Russian to record a hat-trick this year, his last one came in 2003 with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Congrats to Alexei on his achievement and as always his comrade of the night nod.
Below are all three of Kovalev’s goals all courtesy always of the NHL and NHL.com
There aren’t too many good ways to slow down the NHL’s leading point man from a season ago. But already twice in the young 2009-10 season, Evgeni Malkin has been held off the scoresheet. However, there’s nothing like an Eastern Conference Finals rematch with the Carolina Hurricanes to get him going again.
As we all remember, Malkin registered nine points in the first three games of a series to remember with the Canes, including an epic hat-trick in Game Two at the Mellon Arena.
Although Hurricanes coach Paul Maurice had all summer to figure out how to stop the Conn Smythe recipient, they apparently had very little success. No. 71 bamboozled the Carolina defense for most of the evening, leading the Penguins to their fifth straight road victory.
When it looked as if the Carolina was finally gathering some momentum, Malkin brought the puck up the ice and feathered a pass to fourth-line winger Mike Rupp. Rupp then broke in alone, scoring his first of the season and first in a Penguin uniform.
But he scored another signature goal in the second period. On a give-and-go with Pascal Dupuis, Malkin rifled a shot top-shelf on Cam Ward from an acute angle leaving Ward to wonder what he has to to stop the man from the Magnetic Mountain.
Congratulations, Evgeni! You are the Comrade of the Night!
The NHL playoffs are all set and ready with mouth-watering match up’s for hockey fans to enjoy. Here is a look at the first round match-ups
Eastern Conference
(1) Boston Bruins vs (8) Montreal Canadiens
A rematch from last year with the teams in opposite seeds the Habs enter this series, losers of four of their last five and have been lucky to survive the titanic that was their season. Sub par goal tending and a long list of players on the injured list were keys to their demise. What’s worse is that the season series was all Bruins who went 5-1 winning the last 5 games outscoring the Habs 20-9. This series does not look good for Les Canadiens who will be lucky to win one game. Let’s hope for the sake of the city of Montreal that it’s in Boston so the series sees no riots this time. Boston in 5.
(2) Washington Capitals vs (7) New York Rangers
The second best power play meets the best penalty kill as the Capitals led by the Art Ross Trophy holder Alexander Ovechkin take on a recently confident Rangers team. The season series doesn’t favor the Rangers who went 1-3 versus the Caps. However they are coming off back to back wins over the rival Philadelphia Flyers led by goal keeper Henrik Lundqvist. The Swede could be the difference in the series as Jose Theodore doesn’t have a winning record in the NHL’s second season. However he does have a Vezina and Hart trophy to his credit which can not be said for Lundqvist. The Capitals have too much offense for the Rangers and enough depth for the long haul. Capitals in 6.
(3) New Jersey Devils vs (6) Carolina Hurricanes
Most of the hockey world did not expect the Devils to compete without Martin Brodeur sidelined for 3 months. Now the Devils head into the playoffs after capturing their 8th division title in 12 years. They face a red hot Carolina team who had won 9 straight before two straight losses to round out the season. The latest coming to the Devils 3-2 at New Jersey. Carolina won the series however 3-1.
This will be the fourth postseason series between the teams. Carolina defeated the Devils in five games in their most-recent meeting in the 2006 Eastern Conference Semifinals. The team that won each of the three previous series between the teams went on to represent the Eastern Conference in the Stanley Cup Finals. Devils in 6.
(4) Pittsburgh Penguins vs (5) Philadelphia Flyers
The battle of Pennsylvania continues into the playoffs. A rematch of last years conference finals this could be one of the better match ups in the first round. Evgeni Malkin can be the difference maker against a rather untested keeper in Martin Biron. However the Flyers have plenty of fire in Jeff Carter who finished second in the league in goals. The Penguins won the series 4-2 but this one could go either way. Pittsburgh in 7.
courtesy of ESPN.
Tonight’s honor goes to Sergei Samsonov of the Carolina Hurricanes. Samsonov first assisted on Ray Whitney’s goal which would be the first of his hattrick. He then capitalized on a turnover by the Flames defense and was able to beat Miikka Kiprusoff with a wrist shot. It was Samsonov’s 14th of a season as the player shows flashes of his old self. The goal below is courtesy of the NHL.
