Two minutes

THE GOOD...

Mathieu Garon, Columbus Blue Jackets

Steve who? Former Calder Trophy what?

Garon recorded his second straight shutout - and matched his total from last season - by turning aside 25 shots in a 3-0 win over the Atlanta Thrashers.

The longtime journeyman has four career wins at Philips Arena, three by shutout.

"I don't know what it is about this building," Garon said. "There's always teams that for some reason - I'm not saying it's easier - you have more wins against."

If one-time rookie of the year Steve Mason isn't hearing footsteps, he should. Garon is 4-0-0 with a 0.89 goals-against average.

The win improved the Blue Jackets to 8-4-0, making the Central Division perhaps the best in the NHL this season. All five teams are separated by three points.

Speaking of the Central Division ...

Jaroslav Halak, St. Louis Blues

Three shutouts and a 0.73 GAA in his last four games. Not bad.

With a 2-0 win over the San Jose Sharks, Halak moved into a tie with Tim Thomas of the Boston Bruins for the league lead in whitewashes.

"(Halak) plays into a lot of the things we talked about right from Day 1 in training camp - how we're going to show up and work every day, how we're going to prepare, how we're going to play and how we're not going to allow one day to affect the next," Blues coach Davis Payne told the NHL's official website. "We're just going to get back at it and he plays goal with that mindset.

"It's one play to the next and away we go. Very few highs and lows, just steady performances, and that's what we want out of our hockey team. We tailor things to opponents, but when we talk about our game we want it to be steady, consistent and at a high level and he plays right into that."

Now the test begins. Starting Friday night in Boston, the Blues will play seven games in 11 days with six away from St. Louis, where they're 6-0-0 in 2010-11.

Jason Spezza, Ottawa Senators

If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. Spezza proved that with a goal and three assists in Ottawa's 4-1 win over the New York Islanders.

The four points was one shy of his season total he had coming into the contest. Groin injuries have kept the high-scoring whipping boy out of the lineup.

"We don't watch the standings at this point in the season, but we do judge (ourselves) by how we're playing and you want to be playing good hockey. We're heading in the right direction and to get a few wins in a row here would be nice," Spezza told the team's official website earlier on Thursday.

THE BAD...

Joe Thornton, San Jose Sharks

Jumbo Joe is probably looking at a suspension after laying out David Perron with an elbow to the head in a shutout loss to St. Louis.

Early in the second period, Thornton got a boarding minor for flattening T.J. Oshie. Seven seconds after coming out of the box, he ran Perron, but didn't think much of it.

"I felt like I established myself on the ice," Thornton said. "I just braced myself for the hit. He just ran into me, to be honest with you."

Perron would later score on a pretty backhand.

Three games sounds about right for Thornton to sit and feel shame - the same number of games given to Phoenix's Shane Doan and Philadelphia's Danny Briere for their respective head shots in recent weeks.

The New York Islanders

Has the Scott Gordon death watch begun yet?

If not, why?

With a loss to Ottawa, Team Fishsticks has been outscored 29-11 while losing six in a row.

"We didn't score," Gordon said. "I mean, we had two breakaways, we had a couple of point-blank chances in the slot that we didn't bury on and right now we're just going through a situation where it seems like every time we do make a mistake it's in the back of our net and we don't get the same kind of return on our chances."

It also doesn't get any easier immediately with a home game against Philadelphia before a three-game swing through California. Makes me wonder if Gordon will be returning from the West Coast with the rest of the team.

The Sharks ... provided they're not in San Jose.

It's been a while since the Sharks scored on the road. Like, a looooooong while.

To be precise, 185 minutes and 15 seconds since John McCarthy scored in the third period of a 6-1 rout of Edmonton on Oct. 23.

That was San Jose's third straight road win in which the Sharks found the back of the net 13 times. After that, there was a 4-0 loss in Calgary on Oct. 24 followed by a 1-0 defeat in Minnesota on Tuesday.

No team has been blanked in four straight road games since the Montreal Canadiens from Feb. 3-15, 1938.

"It's been kind of all or nothing," San Jose forward Joe Pavelski said. "We have to figure it out. We're offensively challenged right now."

AND THE QUOTABLE...

"That was a real playoff game. It was a real hard-fought battle. Nobody was going to give each other an inch, and there wasn't much out there for either team to get some offense. We're similar teams, in that we don't give much to the opponent. It was going to come down to who was going to make the mistake, and we made that little mistake and they capitalized on it. - Tampa Bay coach Guy Boucher after the Lightning's 1-0 loss to the Los Angeles Kings in a matchup involving surprise division leaders

Game of the night - Nov. 3 - Lightning look to continue dominance of Kings in LA

Tampa Bay Lightning (7-2-2) at Los Angeles Kings (8-3-0), STAPLES Center, Los Angeles, Calif.

Yes, I am serious. Have you not looked at the standings recently?

Just about a month into the season, the Lightning and Kings are at the top of their respective conferences.

Hey, if the Saints and Giants can come out of nowhere to win the Super Bowl and World Series, who's to say one of these teams can't take the Stanley Cup?

For Tampa Bay – which is tied with high-scoring Washington first in the Southeast Division and has a game in hand - its hot start is the continuation of a quick turnaround from last-place finishes in 2008 and 2009.

Last season, the Bolts didn’t make the playoffs, but totaled 80 points to place third in the Southeast. Despite coming off a loss Wednesday, they're playing right now as if they could win it all.

The key to Tampa Bay’s success? Steven Stamkos - and it pains me to no end to have to admit that.

Picked first overall in 2008, I called Stamkos a bust after the then-18-year-old failed to make much of an initial impression with no points in his first seven games and struggled for much of the first half of his rookie season.

With a return to Sarnia long out of the question, things changed on Feb. 17, 2009, when Stamkos recorded all of Tampa Bay’s goals in a 5-3 home loss to the Chicago Blackhawks.

Since then, guess who leads the league with 77 goals scored including 34 on the power play? Hint: It's not Ovechkin. Or Crosby. Or Malkin, Semin, Toews, Kane or Gaborik.

So. consider this my mea culpa: Stamkos is the superstar few know about, and needs to be talked about in the same breath as Ovechkin and Crosby.

Now, fellow STATS puckhead Jon Palmieri can STFU.

For years, the face of the Lightning franchise was Vincent Lecavalier and, to a lesser extent, Martin St. Louis and Brad Richards, now with the Dallas Stars. The three of them were keys in leading the Lightning to their only Stanley Cup in 2004 before the lockout.

While Lecavalier is still the captain, and the diminutive St. Louis can still score in bunches, it's clear the Lightning's success rests with Stamkos.

After going from 23 goals as a rookie to tying for the NHL lead with 51 last season, first-year coach Guy Boucher told USA Today last month not to put so much stock into numbers because he wants Stamkos to be more of a two-way player.

"We have to watch out when we look at numbers," Boucher said. "Improving doesn't necessarily mean he has to get more than 50 goals. He might get 42 goals and be a better player."

Stamkos getting better than last season when he tied Crosby for the league lead with 51 goals? Doing more and scoring less? Scary, scary thought.

No. 91 scored - what else? - a power-play goal 21 seconds into the third period Wednesday to lift Tampa Bay in a 2-1 lead over the Anaheim Ducks, a game the Lightning went on to lose 3-2 in overtime.

Still, Stamkos' 10th goal of the season moved him into a tie with the Blackhawks' Patrick Sharp for the NHL lead.

"We expected a tough game," Stamkos said. "They've been struggling as of late and they were coming back home, so they wanted to come out strong - and I think they did that. It just took us too long to wake up."

Los Angeles will get a key player back in Norris Trophy finalist Drew Doughty after missing six games with a concussion.

"No question you miss your top defenseman, but the good thing is that we came through it in pretty good shape," coach Terry Murray told the Kings' official website. "It shows a lot of character on the team. Guys stepped up and played very well in the games that he was out.

Los Angeles allowed 16 goals while going 4-2-0 without Doughty. Still, there is no question the Kings missed what Doughty can bring.

Selected second in 2008 after Stamkos, Doughty emerged last season by finishing third among defensemen with 59 points. That put him ahead of more established names like Pronger, Gonchar, Lidstrom and Niedermayer.

Los Angeles has allowed six goals while winning its first four at home. Jonathan Quick stopped 39 shots, and improved to 7-1-0 with a 3-1 win over the New Jersey Devils on Saturday.

The pick? Since joining the NHL in 1992, the Lightning have simply owned the Kings in LA, going 10-1-0 with two ties. I don't see much changing this year.

LIGHTNING 5, KINGS 1

Game of the night - Nov. 1 - Blackhawks, Rangers in Original Six matchup

Chicago Blackhawks (7-5-1) at New York Rangers (5-4-1), Madison Square Garden, New York, N.Y.

“Some say that’s progress. Some say that’s cruel.” – Midnight Oil

I fly from Chicago to New York roughly once every four to six weeks. On my frequent flier statements, it’s the same 733 miles each way.

Not talking LA to Johannesburg here. Sometimes, I have gotten from O’Hare to La Guardia in around an hour and 45 minutes – less time than it used to take to get to high school in the Bronx from Queens.

So, when games like Monday’s tilt at MSG between the Blackhawks and Rangers are on the schedule, it makes me lament why there are not more of them.

The price of progress – or in this case, expansion.

Fifty years ago in the Original Six era, Chicago and New York faced off 14 times. In 1970-71, with the league more than doubled to 14, the Blackhawks and Rangers met just six times.

A decade later, there were four games between Chicago and New York as the league had 21 teams spread out over four divisions – including Calgary in the same one with Washington, Philadelphia, the Rangers and Islanders following the Flames’ relocation from Atlanta.

It’s 2,031 miles from New York to southern Alberta. The Rangers traveled there twice.


By 1990-91, Chicago and New York would meet only three times. Ten years ago, with the league comprised of 30 teams, the Rangers and ‘Hawks faced off twice.

That was cut to once each of the following five seasons, and none in 2007-08.

Why do I view this as a tragedy? Simple - because it’s a piece of history being erased.

No sport in North America reveres history as much as hockey. Think back to the reverence when the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup last spring, and the pomp and circumstance when a team raises a championship banner on opening night the following season.

The Blackhawks had members of the 1960-61 team hand off the banner to the remaining members of last season’s squad. A poignant gesture on a sports landscape dotted with ME! ME! ME! attitudes.

Do the Rangers have to play New Jersey or Pittsburgh six times a season? Does Chicago have to do the same against Nashville or Columbus? I think not.

As for this game, New York returns home following an impressive 2-0 win at Toronto on Saturday in the third of four meetings between the Original Six teams this year.

Henrik Lundqvist, who recorded his first shutout of the season, is 3-0-2 with a 1.76 goals-against average in his career versus Chicago, and has allowed only three goals in two home wins.

Despite losing two top players in Marian Gaborik and Chris Drury to injuries on Oct. 15, the Rangers have scored 18 goals while going 4-3-0. US Olympian Ryan Callahan has picked up the scoring slack with four goals, but five others have two goals each.

The biggest surprise in that bunch is Brian Boyle, a 6-foot-7 forward who has already matched a career-high with four goals in just 10 games.

Chicago will be without high-scoring Marian Hossa for a couple of weeks with an injury, but they still have Patrick Sharp, a steady performer over the past few seasons who is breaking out early in 2010-11.

Through 12 games, the 28-year-old has 10 goals, including four on the power play and three game-winners. However, he hasn’t scored in seven games against the Rangers since getting two in 2004 when he was with the Flyers.

Chicago, which defeated the Wild 3-1 in Minnesota on Saturday, has dropped three of its last four in MSG.

The pick? Sharp will score, but the Rangers will shut down Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews and come away with a narrow win.

RANGERS 3, BLACKHAWKS 2

The $73,000 scratch

Seems $100 million doesn't mean much in the NHL these days. Results matter.

Still, Saturday's decision by first-year New Jersey Devils coach John MacLean to bench high-scoring - and high-priced - forward Ilya Kovalchuk is one of the most eyebrow-raising moves this season by any team.

Kovalchuk was a healthy scratch for Saturday's 6-1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres. For those with short memories, this is the same Kovalchuk and these are the same Devils who dragged out a contract saga for more much of this past summer.

First, it was a 17-year, $102 million deal in July that the NHL rejected because it circumvented the salary cap. After the union filed a grievance, a 15-year, $100 million agreement was hammered out and given blessing by the legal department on Avenue of the Americas.

Not without a heavy hand coming down. The league fined the Devils $3 million and took away two high draft picks over the next four years.

General manager Lou Lamoriello told the New York Times in September that things are just fine between New Jersey and Kovy.

“Certainly, the Devils are pleased that Ilya Kovalchuk will be an asset for the team for years to come," he said.

Or seven games into the new season, anyway.

Though Kovalchuk is tied for the team lead with five points, the Devils are in last place, and MacLean has said that all players are responsible for the slow start.

Commendable, sure, but look at the message being sent.

According to Yahoo! Sports' Greg Wyshynski, the decision to bench Kovalchuk was made by MacLean, arguably one of the best players in Devils franchise history.

"That's between him and I. It was my decision." MacLean said, and told The Associated Press that Kovalchuk knows the reason for being benched.

There is also a chance that Kovalchuk will be held out from Sunday's tilt against the New York Rangers. Based on his $6 million salary this season, Kovalchuk will lose $73,000 for each game he's held out.

So, what we have here, if I read this right, is an old-fashioned pissing match between a coach trying to exert his influence and a superstar player.

This scenario has been played out countless times.

Johnny Mac? Your intentions are good in wanting to show that you are the bench boss. Being the franchise's all-time goal-scoring leader also helps enhance your status some.

It will only go so far.

I don't know what Kovalchuk did that raised MacLean's hackles, but this is not some rookie from Moose Jaw. Kovalchuk was a No. 1 overall pick, and despite some perceptions of being soft, the Russian has scored at least 41 goals in six straight seasons.

Plus, you know, there is that contract and what it cost the Devils.

Advantage, Kovalchuk. Whether MacLean likes it or not.

Canucks' Rypien draws six-game suspension

When I wake up, one of the first things I do is check what's going in the world - both in and out of sports.

I knew Rick Rypien of the Canucks was going to have a hearing with the NHL for a run-in with a fan that made its way onto YouTube before the end of Vancouver's 6-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday.

So, when I walked into work and co-worker and fellow hockeyhead Jon Palmieri told me Rypien would sit for six games, I was underwhelmed: "That's all?"

Originally, I thought three to five games. Then 10. It's hard to gauge with this league.

In handing down the suspension, the NHL said Rypien - a fourth-liner/enforcer/energy-type player - "made contact with a fan." That's couched a little too lightly considering Rypien shoved 28-year-old James Engquist and appeared to grab his Minnesota jersey.

"We understand and respect the League's decision today regarding Rick Rypien. While this game is played with passion and intensity, the safety of all of our fans and players is of the utmost importance at all times," Canucks' general manger Mike Gillis in a statement.

"Throughout his career Rick has been well respected by his teammates, coaches, fellow players and our community. Rick is a valued member of our organization and we will continue to support him and all of his teammates to ensure incidents like this do not happen in the future."

Perhaps it was frustration over having his ass handed to him by the same combatant in two fights. Or that his team was already trailing by four. Or that he's struggled to produce on a team that has largely underachieved early on.

The bottom line is Rypien crossed one. The NHL had a chance to send a message to its players Friday, and as they always seem to do, came up a little short.

Two minutes

THE GOOD...

Martin Biron, New York Rangers

Now, that's a Broadway-style debut! So what if it came in Toronto?

Biron made 24 saves, including a stop on a breakaway by Kris Versteeg on the power play midway through the third period of a 2-1 win over the Maple Leafs.

"As a team, I think this was the first time this year that we played a solid 60 minutes," Biron said. "We have to play up to that standard the rest of the season."

Biron came over as a free agent from the New York Islanders, giving the Blueshirts a better option as a backup to Henrik Lundqvist. Last season, Alex Auld, Chad Johnson, Stephen Valiquette and Matt Zaba combined to go 3-6-1 with a 2.84 goals-against average.

Kyle Brodziak, Minnesota Wild

Always a good feeling to stick it to your former team. It didn't take Brodziak long to do so.

The former Oiler scored twice in the opening 5:24 as Minnesota coasted to a 4-2 win over Edmonton.

"Both times, great passes from my linemates," the Alberta native said between periods. He played for Edmonton from 2005-09 before being dealt to Minnesota for draft picks.

Typical tactful response, careful not to rip his old team. You know he's amped on the inside, though.

Tim Thomas, Boston Bruins

Thomas may be the only player to allow a single tally - and see his goals-against average rise.

The US Olympian stopped 38 shots, and the Bruins won their home opener 4-1 over the Washington Capitals to complete the home-and-home sweep.

The 2009 Vezina Trophy winner was 3-0 with a 0.67 GAA coming into the contest. His GAA is now 0.75.

"I'm hoping this isn't just a hot streak; this is me now," said Thomas, who had offseason left hip surgery. "At times last year I felt like I was a one-legged goalie."

THE BAD...

The New Jersey Devils

Here is all you need to know about the Devils some two weeks into the 2010-11 season: Both their wins have been courtesy of shutouts by Martin Brodeur, including 3-0 over the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday.

When he doesn't extend his NHL record for whitewashes, New Jersey is 0-4-1 and has been outscored 21-9.

Brodeur hasn't denied the club's slow start under new coach John MacLean.

"It looks like it so far but hopefully we'll get different kinds of wins eventually because it'll be tough to do that," he said. "It's been a rocky start but on the road the last few games with Buffalo and here in Montreal, it's nice to have shutouts but definitely wins is what we're looking for right now."

And you plan on doing this how?

The Calgary Flames

This is how bad things have gotten for Calgary: Rookie Mikael Backlund had his first two-goal game in a 4-2 loss to the Detroit Red Wings.

He also moved into a tie for the team's goal-scoring lead.

Calgary has split its first six games, but has managed only Backlund's markers in the three losses, and 11 goals overall - one from franchise scoring leader Jarome Iginla, none from the reacquired Olli Jokinen.

It's time to clean the House of Sutter.

Phoenix Coyotes fans in Arizona

I took fans of the Blue Jackets to task earlier this week after the smallest crowd in Columbus' franchise history showed up.

That was an overflow gathering compared to the 6,706 that watched the Coyotes post a 4-2 win over the Los Angeles Kings.

Chicago investor Matthew Hulsizer reached an agreement earlier this week on a new lease at Jobing.com Arena that should lead to him buying the club from the NHL.

He must really want this team bad. If there's any doubt, and having seen the sparse crowd on television, he should reconsider wanting a club in a region of the country not really suited for the sport, and whose fans are apathetic at best despite an unexpected playoff charge last spring.

I'll ask again. Kansas City with a new arena waiting for a tenant? Back to Winnipeg? Seattle? Milwaukee? Fold?

Anyone?

...AND THE QUOTABLE

"Everywhere I go, everybody asks me about Derian, and I'll put this one to rest right now. Derian, I respect you, and I'm jealous of you because of your Stanley Cup. But never, ever did I feel one bit of animosity for our competitive level and what we did on the ice."- Jeremy Roenick speaking at his induction to the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame about fellow inductee Derian Hatcher, who broke Roenick's jaw in four places (impresssive!) late in the 1998-99 NHL season.

Two minutes

It's a light night, so this may be cut down to 90 seconds.

THE GOOD...

Teemu Selanne, Anaheim Ducks

The old man can still bring it. The 40-year-old Finn scored his 609th career goal in a 3-1 loss to Columbus.

Selanne moved past Dino Ciccarelli into sole possession of 16th place all time. Next up - Bobby Hull with 610.

THE BAD...

Rick Rypien, Vancouver Canucks

Putting your hands on a fan? Not really the way you wanna go here, Ricky.

For those who didn't see what happened Tuesday in the Canucks' 6-1 loss to the Minnesota, Rypien was being led off the ice after a second fight with the Wild's Brad Staubitz. A fan was clapping as Rypien walked past - from what could be seen, clapping, not jeering, not being a knucklehead.

Rypien charged into that role with his blades up, grabbing a double-handful of the fan's jersey before order was quickly restored. The NHL on Wednesday suspended Rypien indefinitely pending a hearing.

Canucks general manager Mike Gillis tried defending Rypien.

"This was totally unexpected," he said Wednesday night during the Canucks' game in Chicago. "In our experience with Rick, we never expected anything like this to occur. He's been a solid guy on our team. He's a good teammate, good in the community. It was something completely unexpected.

"Sometimes things happen, and you have to deal with them. You don't anticipate any event like that from a player of Rick's stature. There were events that led up to it, and we're going to support him."

Support him all you like. Look at footage and all you'll see was a Minnesota fan clapping.

At first, I was thinking a three- to five-game suspension. I'm thinking more like 10 now.

Columbus Blue Jackets fans

Way to show up - all 9,802 of you.

The Blue Jackets defeated Anaheim in front of the smallest crowd to see a game at Nationwide Arena.

Columbus is celebrating its 10th season in the NHL, but I'm sure this was a disappontment to the franchise.

"Yeah, it was unfortunate we got embarrassed," team captain Rick Nash said, referring to a lethargic, lopsided 5-2 loss to Chicago on Friday night in the Jackets' home opener. "The only way we're going to win them back is by winning games."

Good seats are available for Friday night's tilt against the Calgary Flames.

...AND THE QUOTABLE

"I was just standing straight up applauding as he was getting kicked out. He was out of control. And then I said, 'Way to be professional,' and he obviously didn't care for that comment and decided to grab me and almost dragged me over the rail. If my brother wasn't grabbing me and the other player wasn't grabbing him, he probably would have dragged me over the edge." - James Engquist, a 28-year-old fan of the Minnesota Wild who had his jersey grabbed by Vancouver's Rick Rypien on Tuesday.

Game of the night - Oct. 20 - Canucks, Blackhawks renew battle

Vancouver Canucks (2-3-1) at Chicago Blackhawks (4-2-1), United Center, Chicago, Ill.

There is a lot to like about Chicago - the skyline along the lake. Wrigley Field. Maxwell Street Polish.

There is also a lot to dislike - high taxes. Potholes you could hide Chilean miners in. Bitter, winter weather off that same beautiful lake. The Cubs.

For the Canucks, who will face the Blackhawks for the first time since again being ousted by the eventual Stanley Cup champions last spring, it's a song that makes them have disdain for the Windy City.

The 'Hawks play the Fratellis' "Chelsea Dagger" after every goal scored at home. With apologies to William Congreve, music hath not the charms to soothe the savage breast on this one

Kinda catchy. Kinda grating after a while - especially if your goalie keeps getting beat, and some 20,000 fans in the Midwest, and perhaps just as many back home, let you know it.

"Worst song in hockey. I don't even want to listen to it anymore. I was in the press box last game in Chicago, and I heard it six times, and I was cringing every time, so ... we all know about that song in this room, and we all hate it." - Vancouver defenseman Kevin Bieksa.

During the 2009-10 regular season, Vancouver and Chicago were about as evenly matched as you could. The teams split four games with the Canucks outscoring the Blackhawks 11-10. Vancouver was 2 for 13 with the man-advantage, slightly better than Chicago's 1 for 16.

Far different story in the postseason.

Chicago advanced to the Western Conference finals in six games, winning three including the clincher in British Columbia. The key was Game 4 at the former GM Place, where captain Jonathan Toews recorded a hat trick, notching three of the 'Hawks' four power-play tallies.

It was also helped close out a rematch of their 2009 semifinals matchup, taken by Chicago in six games.

"We wanted this opportunity," Vancouver coach Alain Vigneault said in May after the most recent series loss. "We wanted this challenge, and for the second year in a row we weren't able to get it done."

Who to blame? Bobby Lu.

Roberto Luongo certainly has the pedigree - and the 12-year, $64-million contract - to be considered among the best goaltenders in the NHL, but truth is he's melted down in the postseason, posting a 17-17 record in spite of a goals-against average just under 2 1/2.

Olympic gold medal winner? Sure. Undying love of your country. Yes. But until you hoist a Cup, it means nothing.

If there is one thing these teams can agree on is they enjoy fighting: In 20 games over the past two seasons, they've combined for more than 700 penalty minutes.

While both teams still have tough personnas, most of the fighting spirit may no longer be there. Chicago has parted ways with Dustin Byfuglien and agitators Ben Eager and Adam Burish. Shane O'Brien and Darcy Hordichuk are no longer with the Canucks, and Alexandre Burrows is still rehabbing from shoulder surgery.

I say most of the fighting spirit because the highlight of Vancouver's 6-2 blowout loss to the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday night came in the second period. As the Canucks' Rick Rypien was ushered off to the dressing room following another fight with Brad Staubitz, he grabbed a double-handful of a jersey worn by a Wild fan who was clapping.

Three-game suspension? Five? Someone in the 604 may be getting a call tomorrow. (UPDATE: Suspended indefinitely pending a hearing with the NHL.)

Luongo was lifted after 40 minutes - the third straight time he's failed to play a full game in St. Paul, and he's surrendered 16 goals over that stretch.

Yeah, elite. Maybe Mike Milbury knew something many years ago when he shipped Luongo off the Island to Florida.

Luongo, who's expected to start at the UC, is 5-3-0 with a 2.50 GAA, .913 save percentage and two shutouts during the regular season at Chicago since joining the Canucks in 2006.

Chicago has won three in a row, and rallied for the second straight time Monday with a 3-2 overtime victory over the St. Louis Blues.

Maran Hossa - named the NHL's second star of the week earlier in the day - scored two late third-period goals, and Patrick Sharp notched the game-winner with 1:10 to play in extra time.

Hossa leads the NHL with seven goals and 11 points, and Sharp has netted five of his six goals over the last three contests.

“I feel really good so far,” Hossa said. “There’s still things I should be working on, but so far the puck is going in for me.”

He's not playing at his best? Scary thought.

The pick? Given their short turnaround from having played in Minnesota, the Canucks are going to be frustrated - and hearing "Chelsea Dagger" a lot.

BLACKHAWKS 7, CANUCKS 4

Game of the night - Oct. 19 - High-powered Caps play host to stingy Bruins

Boston Bruins (2-1-0) at Washington Capitals (4-1-0), Verizon Center, Washington DC

Hammer, meet nail.

Over the last nine games against the Bruins, Washington has picked up 16 of a possible 18 points with losses in overtime and a shootout preventing a clean sweep.

Not shockingly, a well-known trio of Capitals have led the way. Nicklas Backstrom is the top scorer with 11 points, including eight assists, followed by Alex Ovechkin (five goals, five assists), and Alexander Semin (three goals, seven assists).

Washington’s top-scoring defenseman over that span was the notoriously fragile Tom Poti with just six assists. This season, John Carlson has emerged as the Caps’ top scoring threat from the blueline.

In five games, the 27th overall pick in 2008 has a goal and five assists – matching his total in 22 contests a season ago.

With Semyon Varlamov injured and Jose Theodore now a backup in Minnesota, goaltending chores have fallen to Michal Neuvirth – and given how well he's playing, it could be hard for Varlamov to get his starting job back.

After losing to the Atlanta Thrashers on opening night, the Czech-born Neuwirth is 4-0-0 with a 1.71 goals-against average and .945 save percentage. He stopped 37 shots Saturday in a 3-2 overtime win against the Nashville Predators.

Brooks Laich scored the game-winner, but credited Neuvirth's solid play as the reason why the Capitals extended their winning streak.

“Neuvy, for he second game in a row is the storyline,” Laich told the Caps' official website. “After he gives up the second goal, he shuts the door and doesn’t give up any more. Which is a great sign for a young goaltender, to be calm when he is under siege. I think they had 30 shots after two periods. That’s a lot of shots to give up."

If Boston was fatigued after splitting a season-opening series with the Phoenix Coyotes in the Czech Republic, it wasn’t evident Saturday in New Jersey. Rookie Jordan Caron’s first NHL marker ignited a four-goal outburst, lifting the Bruins to a 4-1 win.

Tim Thomas stopped 31 shots, and improved to 2-0-0 with a 0.50 GAA, .984 save percentage and one shutout.

The portly Thomas is playing more like the goalie that won the Vezina Trophy two seasons ago, not the one who finished below .500.

“It wasn’t like we were looking at beating New Jersey,” Thomas told The Associated Press. “We’ve had trouble with them in the past, but it was more that we wanted to be 2-1. Our goal coming in was to start working our way up the standings. We were hungry for the victory, no matter who it was against.”

These teams won’t have to wait long to meet again. They’ll complete the back end of a home-and-home set Thursday in Boston for the Bruins’ home opener.

The pick? With Thomas, Boston’s early-season goaltending has been solid, but Washington still has way too many weapons.

CAPITALS 5, BRUINS 2