Playoff predictions - Eastern Conference

Another season is in the books. Now, the real fun gets started.

Four series. Sixteen wins. One championship.

No. 1 Montreal Canadiens (47-25-10, 102 points) vs. No. 8 Boston Bruins (41-29-12, 94 points)

OVERVIEW: The storylines on both sides are compelling. The matchup, though, threatens to be a one-sided affair.

In Montreal, you have a team that many publications predicted to finish at or near the bottom of the Eastern Conference. Instead, they came pretty much out of nowhere to win the East for the first time since 1992, and are 16 wins away from their 24th Stanley Cup championship.

Don’t laugh. This is not out of the realm of possibility.

Head coach Guy Carbonneau – a member of the Canadiens’ most recent championship team in 1993 – has gotten the most from a group that on paper didn’t seem to offer much. Alexei Kovalev, often viewed during his career as someone who never quite lived up to his talent, became the first Canadien with 35 goals in a season since Pierre Turgeon and Vincent Damphousse in 1995-96.

If you said at the start of the season that Tomas Plekanec and Andrei Kostitsyn would combine for 53 goals, buy yourself a Powerball or Mega Millions ticket. With stars like Alexander Ovechkin in Washington and Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin in Pittsburgh, surprisingly it was the Canadiens who led the NHL with 262 goals scored in 2007-08

In former Canadien coach Claude Julien’s first season behind the bench in Boston, he’s led the Bruins to their best finish in 13 years and into the postseason for the first time since 2004 – when they lost to Montreal in seven games.

But Boston last won a playoff series in 1999, and they will find it hard to snap that slide. Safe to say, these aren’t the Red Sox, Patriots or Celtics.

The Bruins didn’t have 30-goal or 80-point scorer in 2007-08. Marco Sturm led with 27 goals and Marc Savard had 78 points, but he hasn’t played since suffering a back injury on March 22 when he was cross-checked by Montreal’s Steve Begin.

If Savard cannot go, it will put more pressure on Chuck Kobasew, Phil Kessel and Glen Murray.

HOW MONTREAL CAN WIN: If Carey Price stays right.

Picked fifth overall in the 2005 NHL draft, Price easily was considered Montreal’s goaltender of the future. His quick ascension this season to starter may have been a surprise, but as he had done in juniors and the AHL, the 20-year-old rookie has proved to be largely unflappable – and pretty hard to beat.

After taking over as as the starter since Cristobal Huet was traded to Washington at February’s trading deadline, Price has gone 12-3-0 with a 2.12 goals-against average, two shutouts and a .936 save percentage.

The NHL rookie of the month for March also enters his first NHL playoff action on hot streak, winning his final seven starts – a run that began with two consecutive victories over Boston.

The last Canadien to win the Calder Trophy was Ken Dryden in 1972. Though this season’s honor likely will go to Patrick Kane or Jonathan Toews in Chicago, Price should get some votes.

HOW BOSTON CAN WIN: Before they can consider winning a four-game series from Montreal, the Bruins need to worry about getting just one victory. Boston has been outscored 47-19 during an 11-game regular-season losing streak to the Canadiens.

They also must exorcise some demons hanging out from their playoff loss in 2004. Boston was one win away from moving on to the East semifinals before collapsing. Despite 44 shots on goal in Game 5, Andrew Raycroft gave up three third-period goals in a 5-1 setback.

In Game 6, Sergei Samsonov scored twice, and Boston allowed two empty-net goals in a 5-2 loss. With a chance to advance in a Game 7 matchup, the Bruins failed to get any of 32 shots past Jose Theodore, and Richard Zednik scored both goals in the third en route to a 2-0 defeat.

Tim Thomas won 28 games this season, but was 0-4-1 with a 4.21 GAA versus Montreal this season. Alex Auld was a servicable backup after being acquired from Phoenix, but stopped only three of seven shots in his only action against the Canadiens in 2007-08.

SEASON SERIES: Montreal, 8-0-0.

THE PICK: Montreal in 5. The Bruins will end both losing streaks, but that’s all they’ll be able to celebrate.

No. 2 Pittsburgh Penguins (47-27-8, 102 points) vs. No. 7 Ottawa Senators (43-31-8, 94 points)

OVERVIEW: Last season, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin’s first taste of playoff hockey came against the Senators – and lasted five games.

Now, the two stars will be expected to carry the Penguins into the second round for the first time since 2001, and they’ll be facing a banged-up Senators team that got off to an incredible start before spiraling out of control.

In 2006-07, Crosby and Malkin were the two biggest keys to Pittsburgh ending a six-year playoff drought. Wrapping up his second season, Crosby tallied 120 points to win the Art Ross Trophy at just 19, and Malkin added 85 to earn Calder Trophy honors.

Neither one were able to carry Pittsburgh against a tough Ottawa team which went on to face Anaheim in the Stanley Cup finals. Crosby had three goals and five points, while Malkin managed only four assists. With the series tied 1-1, Pittsburgh managed three goals in three straight losses.

This season, a high ankle sprain limited Crosby to 53 games, but he still put up 72 points. Malkin was even better in his second season, scoring 106 points to rank only behind Alexander Ovechkin in the scoring race.

Though Ottawa has three of the NHL’s top offensive stars in Daniel Alfredsson, Dany Heatley and Jason Spezza, they likely will be missing their best player for some time. Alfredsson – the Sens’ second-leading scorer with 89 points – was waylaid with a vicious but legal open-ice check from Toronto’s Mark Bell on April 3.

That injury was the latest setback in a season that can best be described as bipolar. Under new coach John Paddock, Ottawa got off to a 13-1-0 start, and was 29-10-4 on Jan. 12. Surely a lock for the Northeast Division title and perhaps another East crown.

Instead, they finished 14-21-4, Martin Gerber is overworked, Ray Emery ineffective and Paddock is gone, having been replaced by Bryan Murray – who guided Ottawa into the finals.

Even with Alfredsson’s status iffy, the Senators have the offense to keep up with Pittsburgh. The defense, though, could be what dooms them.

HOW PITTSBURGH CAN WIN: They have experience now. They have Crosby back and pretty much healthy. And they have Malkin – who was dominant at home over the final four weeks of the season.

The second overall pick in 2004 was held without a point in losses after regulation to Ottawa and San Jose in late February. After that, Malkin had nine goals and six assists in an eight-game point streak, leading the Penguins to an 8-0-0 record.

Another player who will need to step up after making his playoff debut is goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury - who also had a high ankle sprain that kept him out for an extended period. In his last nine regular-season starts, Fleury was 8-0-1 with a 1.33 GAA and one shutout.

He was tagged for 18 goals in last season's playoff series loss.


HOW OTTAWA CAN WIN: Even when the Senators started off quick, they did not play with a sense of urgency. They didn’t need to – through the first 14 games, Ottawa outscored its opposition 49-27 and played after regulation once.

A Stanley Cup finals appearance. A hot start. Sounds like some complacency set in.

Rediscovering that sense of urgency, knowing they’re four losses from going home for the season may help finally snap Ottawa out of its malaise. If they keep playing sloppy and tentative, though, they can head to the first tee in about 10 days or so.

Gerber was 15-9-2 at home this season, but has allowed 11 goals in losing his last four starts at Scotiabank Place, two coming against non-playoff teams in Toronto and Buffalo. Emery dropped his last three decisions overall, giving up 12 goals.

SEASON SERIES: Senators, 3-0-1.

THE PICK: Penguins in 6. This series will be hard on both teams, and you wish both could advance. This time, the Pens get the upper hand and move on.

More coming...

Fun city

This was SO MUCH fun.

There are few things in this world that make me feel like a kid. You know, that period of time before the BARS (Bitter, Angry, Resentful, Sullen) set in.

Covering hockey makes me feel that way.

For some, it's all about the graft and the food, and not in that order. I'm not that comfortable eating in a press room, so I don't bother. As far as media guides go, hell, I'll never say no to one of them.

It still stings some that when I wrote for The Associated Press, it's as a stringer as opposed to a byline. Then again, just that it's out there takes some of the ill will away.

This is what I love doing ... writing about my favorite sport.

Channeling Tony-O

With less than three minutes to play on Wednesday, Alexander Semin was going to end a shutout bid by Nikolai Khabibulin, making his first start after a back injury sidelined him for nearly a month.

Instead, Khabibulin finally made the kind of highlight-reel save that may justify his signing the richest contract in franchise history three seasons ago.

It seemed only fitting then that “The ‘Bulin Wall’” was channeling “Tony-O”.

After honoring the greatest goaltender in Chicago Blackhawks history, they got 25 saves from Khabibulin in a 5-0 win over Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals.

Before the game, the Blackhawks continued to mend fences with their past stars by anointing them as team ambassadors. Earlier this month, Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita returned to the fold.

Tonight, it was Tony Esposito.

A pre-game ceremony included an appearance by older brother and fellow Hall of Famer Phil, but the chants throughout the crowd were for Tony-O, still revered in the Windy City.

A video montage of his career showed that when he broke into the league in 1969, Esposito recorded 15 shutouts – a record that still stands – en route to winning the Calder and Vezina trophies. More video clips had Tony-O showing off his butterfly style of goaltending, and briefly showing younger generations the art of the skate save.

Now 64, Esposito said the future is looking bright in Chicago, though it likely will miss the playoffs for the sixth straight season.

"It's an honor to be here with the new, young vibrant Hawks. I know they're going to get better and we're all going to fill this building,” said Tony Esposito, Chicago’s all-time leader with 418 regular-season wins and 74 shutouts over a 15-year career that ended in 1984.

It took just 87 seconds on Wednesday for Chicago to take the lead on Jason Williams’ goal. Jonathan Toews, Yanic Perreault and Patrick Sharp also scored in the first period, and Rene Bourque converted a breakaway in the second.

After that, it was all No. 39 – and looking a whole lot like No. 35.

With 2:53 to play and Khabibulin out of position, Semin unleashed a blast from the right face-off circle toward the open net. Khabibulin dove back to his left and picked the puck off like a third baseman taking away an extra-base hit, touching off chants of “Khabi!” with some “Tony!” mixed in from the sellout crowd of 20,942.

“When we have a ceremony like this, it’s nice to win a game,” Khabibulin said. “Even better that it was Tony and even better that it was a shutout.”

Following the NHL lockout, Khabibulin signed a four-year, $27 million contract after helping lead the Tampa Bay Lightning to the Stanley Cup in 2004. Heading into play against the Caps, Khabibulin was 60-70-16 with a goals-against average just under 3 and only two shutouts in two-plus seasons.

Chicago’s possible playoff confidence also may be bolstered by having kept Ovechkin off the scoresheet. The league-leader with 58 goals and 102 points, Ovechkin was bidding to become the first with 60 tallies in a season since Mario Lemieux (69) and Jaromir Jagr (62) did it for the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1995-96.

Instead, he managed just two shots and one minor penalty in 17:53.

The NHL's double standard

Been a while since I updated this, but that's what happens when the flu combined with NCAA basketball championship week just flat wears you out.

So, let's see if I get this straight. When Chris Simon was with the New York Islanders earlier this season, he received a record 30-game suspension by the NHL for using his skate to stomp on the leg of noted Pittsburgh Penguins' agitator Jarko Ruutu.

Chris Pronger of the Anaheim Ducks uses his skate to stomp on the leg of the Vancouver Canucks' Ryan Kesler earlier this week - and gets only an eight-game ban.

Logic, please? Simon, now with the Minnesota Wild, is still looking for some.

"I watched the tape and I think the tape's self-explanatory," Simon told The Associated Press. "It shows what he did."

Now some can look at Simon's and Pronger's careers, and try to justify why one received a suspension nearly four times as long for the same offense. Heading into play Saturday, Simon has 305 points - and 1,817 penalty minutes in 777 career games. He's been suspended eight times in during a 15-year career, including 25 games last season for a baseball bat-like swing in the mouth of the New York Rangers' Ryan Hollweg.

But Pronger hasn't been an angel during his 14 NHL seasons either, now also having received eight suspensions with two coming during last season's playoffs. During his 939-game career, Pronger has 131 goals, 427 assists - and 1,367 penalty minutes.

Pronger hasn't had to sit out more than four games prior to this ban, which ends on the final day of the regular season.

“Looking at other precedents and other situations that have happened, certainly as a league we don’t condone these types of incidents and obviously want to put these behind us and talk about the important parts of the game,” said Pronger, who's missed a total of 20 games due to suspensions. “I didn’t really plead my case all that much.



“There probably wasn’t too much to say, merely just to replay the incident to them and understand the league doesn’t condone instances like this. I expressed my sincere apologies and they did what they needed to do and I’d have to live with it.”

That doesn't seem to sit well with Simon - and he may have a point.

"It's more disappointing that I can get the amount of games that I get ... and other players can hurt players," Simon said one day before Pronger's ban was issued.

Here's some reasons why Pronger wasn't suspended until the start of the 2008-09 season: He's a recognizable name on a team that will be trying to defend its Stanley Cup championship ... He's a Hart and Norris Trophy winner.

Pronger is white, unlike Simon, who is a member of the First Nations and had received counseling for alcohol problems while playing junior hockey.

Someone needs to ask Gary Bettman and NHL disciplinarian Colin Campbell if race was a factor in this decision. Because it sure appears to have been.

THREE STARS OF THE NIGHT, MARCH 15

1. Martin Brodeur, New Jersey Devils: Brodeur will eventually go down in NHL history as the greatest goaltender ever. The active wins leader recorded his 40th victory for the seventh time in his Hall of Fame career, leading the Devils to a 4-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche.

2. Marian Gaborik, Minnesota Wild: Gaborik scored his 200th career goal as Minnesota snapped a five-game losing streak and moved back atop the Northwest Division with a 2-0 win over the Los Angeles Kings.

3. Jaroslav Halak, Montreal Canadiens: With rookie Carey Price given the night off, Halak stopped 30 shots in a 3-0 win over the Islanders. Halak's third career shutout and first since April 3 moved Montreal within one point of New Jersey for the Eastern Conference lead.

Crosby returns, Forsberg debuts

Being sick sucks.

I spent most of the last three days in bed with the flu before returning to work on Tuesday night, just in time to see Sidney Crosby return and Peter Forsberg make his season debut.

Crosby, who missed 21 games with a high ankle sprain that also cost him an All-Star appearance, assisted on Maxime Talbot's goal with 2:47 to play as the Pittsburgh Penguins blanked the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-0.

Crosby played just over 22 minutes, and the reigning Hart and Art Ross Trophy winner didn't look like he missed much time at all.

"It's good to get it over with and get that feel and get that timing back, but it's still not there," Crosby said. "I had some great chances that I would have loved to put in. It didn't happen. Sometimes that's the way it goes. I'm a little rusty."

Forsberg didn't look rusty, either, as the Colorado Avalanche defeated the Vancouver Canucks 2-1. And he was playing in his first NHL game in 10 1/2 months.

"Of course you want to get a goal or an assist, but I’m just happy we won the game," said Forsberg, who has only gone through one practice and one skatearound with the team since signing a one-year deal last week. “That’s all that matters now."

That's four straight wins for the Avs, who will need Forsberg to step in for the injured Marek Svatos and Ryan Smyth. Svatos is out for the season with a knee injury, while Smyth, who already missed time with an ankle injury this season, is out indefintely with a concussion and separated shoulder.

THREE STARS OF THE NIGHT - NOT NAMED 'CROSBY' OR 'FORSBERG' - FOR MARCH 4

1. Miikka Kiprusoff, Calgary Flames: After going 64 games without a shutout, Kiprusoff recorded his second in five games, making 39 saves in a 1-0 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets. The win allowed Calgary to move into a tie win the Minnesota Wild atop the Northwest Division.

2. Wade Dubielewicz, New York Islanders: With All-Star Rick DiPietro attending to a family matter, Dubielewicz stopped 27 shots before denying five more tries in the shootout as the Islanders defeated the New York Rangers 4-3.

3. Martin Erat, Nashville Predators: Wrapping up his sixth season, Erat recorded his first NHL hat trick in Nashville's 5-1 win over the Edmonton Oilers. The Predators have won eight in a row over Edmonton since an overtime loss in March 2006.

3a. Craig Anderson, Florida Panthers: Not a bad follow-up. Anderson, who made 53 saves in a 1-0 win over the Islanders on Sunday, stopped 40 shots in a 1-0 win over the Boston Bruins on Tuesday. Since 1989-90, according to the wonderful folks I work for, Dominik Hasek of the Buffalo Sabres had the most saves in back-to-back shutouts with 75.

Hossa injured while Richards sets record

It took about five minutes for Brad Richards to make an impact with the Dallas Stars in his first game. The Pittsburgh Penguins will have to wait a while before seeing one from Marian Hossa.

While Richards was helping the Stars beat the Chicago Blackhawks 7-4, Hossa's debut with his new club was cut short after injuring his knee in Pittsburgh's 5-1 loss to the Boston Bruins.

Hossa, perhaps the biggest name to be moved at Tuesday's trade deadline, didn't play in the third period and finished with one shot on goal in 10:13. The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported Hossa suffered a sprained right MCL and will miss at least one week.

"It is disappointing," Hossa said, assessing his injury to an accidental knee-to-knee collision with Boston forward Glen Murray in the second period. "Injuries happen. It's just tough luck."

Pascal Dupuis, acquired by the Penguins with Hossa from the Atlanta Thrashers, also made his debut and helped Pittsburgh avoid being blanked.

Richards' first point with Dallas can only described as pretty. A cross-ice pass from Niklas Hagman at the top of the circles looked like it would be one-timed by Antti Miettinen. Instead he let the puck go between his legs to Richards, who fired a pass to back to Hagman for a tip-in just inside the far post.

That was the first of Hagman's three goals - and Richards' career-high five assists, tying the franchise record shared by Murray Oliver (1971) and Larry Murphy (1989).

"I'm so happy to be a part of this," said Richards, acquired Tuesday from the Tampa Bay Lightning, which has the worst record in the East. "They've got a good thing going here. I went from looking like I'd be done the first of April to making a good run at (the Stanley Cup)."

Andrew Ladd had his first goal in his second game with the Blackhawks after being acquired from the Carolina Hurricanes for Tuomo Ruutu at the deadline.

THREE STARS OF THE NIGHT, FEB. 28

1. Hagman, Dallas Stars: No one is happier than this guy to have Richards on his line. Hagman had his first three-goal game in the NHL during the Stars' win over the Blackhawks.

2. Marco Sturm, Boston Bruins: Sturm had two goals - including the 200th of his career - in the Bruins' 5-1 win over the Penguins. Your useless factoid of the night: Sturm is the third German-born player with 200 goals joining Walt Tkaczuk (227) and Dany Heatley of the Ottawa Senators (210).

3. Ilya Bryzgalov, Phoenix Coyotes: Bryzgalov stopped 41 shots - 26 over the final two periods - in a 2-1 win over the St. Louis Blues. It was the Coyotes' fourth straight win over the Blues and sixth in a row at the Scottrade Center.

Tale of two seasons: Sens ax Paddock

It's not much of a shock when a coach is fired these days. It is when his team shows symptoms seen in someone suffering from bipolar disorder.

The Ottawa Senators got off to an incredible start under John Paddock, hand-picked in July by general manager Bryan Murray as his replacement following the franchise's first modern-day Stanley Cup finals appearance.

Two straight shutout losses ended Paddock's tenure after 64 games on Wednesday. The Senators became the third team this season to change coaches after Murray added coach to his general manager title.

“It’s shocking really that it comes to this,” said Murray, who makes his season debut as coach on Thursday against the Philadelphia Flyers. “It’s disappointing from everybody’s point of view.”

With a league-leading 210 goals scored and the Sens still atop the Northeast Division and just two points off the top spot in the East, that would be a gross understatement.

On the heels of their finals appearance, the Senators opened the 2007-08 season with a 12-1-0 start. Everything clicked. The top line of Daniel Alfredsson, Dany Heatley and Jason Spezza thrived, while goaltenders Martin Gerber, Ray Emery - and even rookie Brian Elliot - shined.

Through Nov. 4, Alfredsson had nine goals and and 10 assists. Heatley, a 100-point scorer each of the previous two seasons, had six multipoint games and totaled eight goals and seven assists. Spezza scored only once, but assisted on 12 other goals.

With Emery working his way back from a wrist injury, Gerber shouldered the load in goal, going 9-1-0 with a 1.88 goals-against average. Emery returned after missing five games to win both his starts and Elliott - picked 291st overall in 2003 - made 25 saves in his NHL debut, a 3-1 win over the reigning Southeast Division champion Atlanta Thrashers.

On Jan. 12, Ottawa was 29-10-4 after beating the Detroit Red Wings in a matchup touted as a preview of this season's Cup finals. The following night, Heatley suffered a shoulder injury that would sideline him for 11 games as the Senators lost to the New York Islanders, snapping a four-game winning streak and sending them in a tailspin they now have just 18 games to recover from.

Ottawa has won only seven of 21 games since then, and has gone just 1-12-2 when scoring three goals or fewer in that span. Acquiring Cory Stillman and Mike Commodore in a trade from the Carolina Hurricanes on Feb. 11 failed to jump-start the offense, which has been non-existent.

After losing 5-0 to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday, the Sens were beyond sluggish in a 4-0 defeat to the Boston Bruins on Tueaday in what was Paddock's final game, roughly one month after he coached in the All-Star game.

It’s not known who will start in goal during Murray’s debut, but neither Emery nor Gerber have played well recently. Emery is 2-3-1 with a 3.40 GAA in his last six starts while Gerber is 0-3-1 with a 3.27 GAA in four starts since last winning on Jan. 29.

One thing is clear about Murray: he is a taskmaster - perhaps not in the same vein as the Tampa Bay Lightning's John Tortorella - but he has a certain style and knows what he wants to see from his team.

“Get some discipline in the play but mainly, get some emotion and effort into the game,” he told the team's official Web site. “I think we’ve been a very passive group in the last number of games and I think it’s because of not winning. Players start to grip their sticks a little too much, and that’ll be the first area to address.”

And the upcoming schedule is not easy. Starting Monday, they'll kick off a four-game Western road trip with a finals rematch against the Anaheim Ducks.

“I think we have a real good hockey team, I think a very comparable hockey team to last year,” he said. “Like every team, you’ve got to get a little bit lucky (and) you’ve got to play very, very hard. But yeah, I think we have a real contending team here.”

New faces, new places

Teams who were active at the trading deadline didn't have to wait long to see results.

Steve Bernier of the Buffalo Sabres had the best debut on Wednesday night, recording two goals on his first two shots and an assist in an 8-4 win over the Nashville Predators.

"When your confidence is not where you want it to be and the first shot you make you score, it helps," said Bernier, who is looking for a fresh start after being labeled an underachiever during three seasons with the San Jose Sharks. "I'm glad everything went the way I wanted everything to go. ... Yeah, it's a good start, but nothing is done yet."

All-Star Brian Campbell, who the Sabres dealt to acquire Bernier, drew an assist in the Sharks' 4-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets.

"He showed that he's a player, that he wants to be on the ice all the time," San Jose coach Ron Wilson said. "He's generally always in attack mode. You can see he’s a sneaky hitter, too."

In Tampa, Mike Smith made 24 saves and Jeff Halpern had a goal and assist in the Lightning's 3-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild. Tampa Bay picked up Halpern, Smith and Jussi Jokinen (4 shots on goal, minus-1 in 22:28) from the Dallas Stars for former Conn Smythe Trophy winner Brad Richards and Johan Holmqvist, who will make their debuts on Thursday.

"Probably one of the harder games I've ever played mentally," said Smith, who still wore his Stars mask. "Everything that has gone on the last couple days. Fighting the nerves a little bit. For the most part, it felt pretty good. Disappointed in the outcome."

Andrew Ladd of the Chicago Blackhawks, acquired from the Carolina Hurricanes for Tuomo Ruutu, had a team-high five shots on goal but didn't register a point in a 1-0 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes.

THREE STARS OF THE NIGHT, FEB. 27

1. Mats Sundin, Toronto Maple Leafs: The longtime captain wanted to stay with the Maple Leafs, invoking his no-trade clause to make sure he would remain with the team. Sundin's second third-period goal forced overtime, and the Leafs went on to a 4-3 win over the Florida Panthers.

2. Joe Sakic, Colorado Avalanche: In his third game back after missing 38 following hernia surgery, Sakic scored the tying goal with 14.7 seconds in regulation as Colorado went on to a 3-2 shootout win, ending the Vancouver Canucks' season-high four-game winning streak. It was Sakic first goal since Nov. 28 and the 617th of his career.

3. Patrick Lalime, Chicago Blackhawks: Starting again in place of the injured Nikolai Khabibulin, Lalime made 32 saves in a 1-0 win over Phoenix for his first shutout since Feb. 7, 2007 and 35th of his career.