SBNation.com - NHL Full StoryStreams

Coyotes Prospect Viktor Tikhonov Reportedly Headed to KHL

2009-11-28T21:35:06Z

by Paul Connors - AP

7 months ago: Phoenix Coyotes right winger Viktor Tikhonov, of Latvia, celebrates after scoring the game-winning goal against the Anaheim Ducks in the shootout period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, April 11, 2009, in Glendale, Ariz. The Coyotes won 5-4 in a shootout. (AP Photo/Paul Connors)

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3-2: Islanders' John Tavares Scores Game-Winner Over Penguins

2009-11-28T17:54:14Z

by Kathy Kmonicek - AP

1 day ago: From left to right, New York Islanders' Freddy Meyer (44), Kyle Okposo (21), John Tavares (91) and Matt Moulson (26) celebrate Tavares' third-period goal over the Pittsburgh Penguins' during an NHL hockey game Friday, Nov. 27, 2009, in Uniondale, N.Y. The Islanders defeated the Penguins 3-2. (AP Photo/Kathy Kmonicek)

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John Tavares scores his first career game winning goal against the Pittsburgh Penguins to give the Islanders a 3-2 win Friday night. At the 13 minute mark in the third period, Tavares knocked home the Matt Moulson rebound to give the Islanders the 3-2 lead. Josh Bailey and Sean Bergenheim scored the other two goals for the Islanders while Dwayne Roloson made 19 saves in the win.

The Penguins were badly outshot in the contest, 37-21, and outshot in the third period 18-5. Penguins goals were scored by Evgeni Malkin and Matt Cooke. Brent Johnson took the loss for the Penguins.

Islanders blog, Lighthouse Hockey, had this to say about Tavares' goal and the game in general:

John Tavares shines. Tavares was making moves and assertive plays with the puck we don't see every game. If his one-on-three move bySergei Gonchar (Brent Johnson made the poke-check) were, say, Crosby on Hillen instead, then the defenseman gets a penalty. Instead, Gonchar received the benefit of the doubt, but Tavares served notice. Fitting, then, that he was there to knock in the winning goal, after an excellent deflection by Matt Moulson on Freddy Meyer's shot from the point.

The Islanders have certainly improved from last season and can only get better as the season goes on. They will be a team to reckon with as the season continues.

Oilers' Winger Ales Hemsky to Have Season-Ending Surgery

2009-11-28T03:17:28Z

by Jimmy Jeong - AP

about 1 month ago: Edmonton Oilers right wing Ales Hemsky (83), from Czech Republic, middle, celebrates his goal with teammates Patrick O'Sullivan, left, and Sam Gagner, in a game against the Columbus Blue Jackets during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Edmonton, Alberta on Thursday, Oct. 22, 2009. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Jimmy Jeong)

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Per Sportsnet.ca:

Edmonton Oilers right winger Ales Hemsky is expected to miss the rest of the regular season after undergoing surgery to repair his left shoulder, the team announced Friday.

Oilers general manager Steve Tambellini made the announcement ahead of Edmonton's game on Friday night, saying Hemsky will have to wait a few weeks before having the procedure done and will miss roughly five-to-six months.

Hemsky was hit from behind by Michal Handzus in the second period of Edmonton's 3-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday. Handzus was given a two-minute boarding penalty on the play.

Hemsky was the second-leading scorer on the Oilers this season with seven goals and 15 assists.

In Progress: Dany Heatley's First Trip To Edmonton Sees Sharks Lead 1-0

2009-11-28T03:07:40Z

by Marcio Jose Sanchez - AP

2 months ago: San Jose Sharks right wing Dany Heatley, left, skates next to Joe Thornton during the first period of an NHL preseason hockey game against the Phoenix Coyotes in San Jose, Calif., Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

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Martin Brodeur Breaks Record In Bruins Win

2009-11-28T03:07:13Z

by Bill Kostroun - ASSOCIATED PRESS

about 1 month ago: New Jersey Devils' Paul Martin, left, congratulates goaltender Martin Brodeur after the Devils defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 3-2 in an NHL hockey game Saturday, April 11, 2009 in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

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Martin Brodeur passed Patrick Roy in all-time minutes played during Friday's win over the Boston Bruins.

Martin Brodeur broke the NHL all-time minutes played record during the second period of the Devils game against the Bruins on Friday. The record was previously held by Patrick Roy and now stands at 60,275. The capacity crowd in Boston gave Brodeur a standing ovation after the record was announced during a stoppage in play.

As for the game, Brodeur added to his all-time wins record with a 2-1 shootout victory. Zach Parise scored the lone goal in regulation for the Bruins and he and Jamie Langenbrunner scored the shootout goals. Blake Wheeler tied the game for the Bruins at the twelve second mark in the third period. Brodeur made 32 saves in the win while Tuukka Rask made 37 saves in the loss.

Our Devils blog, In Lou We Trust had this to say about Brodeur's performance today:

Today, Martin Brodeur broke the all-time NHL record for career minutes played in the second period. That wasn't all. He wasn't just big in Boston, he was massive. Long shots, point-blank shots, shots from the slot, up high, down low, on the ground, while standing - Brodeur made every stop except for one. A shot right on Brodeur's flank right in front of the crease courtesy of Blake Wheeler. Nevertheless, Martin Brodeur prevented this one from becoming a Boston rout in the third period and for that alone, he should be praised. The Devils get nothing from today's game if it wasn't for Brodeur bringing his "A" game.

Chicago Scores A Touchdown While Atlanta and Washington Pitch Shutouts In Wednesday Action

2009-11-26T02:49:37Z

by Chris Carlson - AP

7 days ago: San Jose Sharks goalie Evgeni Nabokov makes a save against the Anaheim Ducks in the second period of a NHL hockey game in Anaheim, Calif., Saturday, Nov. 21, 2009. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

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Evgeni Nabokov and the San Jose Sharks look to slow down the Chicago Blackhawks tonight as 28 teams face off tonight in the NHL.

The top two teams in the NHL will face off tonight in San Jose, as the Chicago Blackhawks look to take down the Sharks in a big game for both teams. The NHL's best home team will look slow down the surging Blackhawks, who are riding an NHL-leading seven-game win streak. The Hawks are currently No. 1 in our Power Rankings, and a win tonight will go a long towards cementing Chicago as the most impressive team in the NHL.

The Sharks and Hawks haven't played a game that hasn't been massively entertaining in a long time. I don't believe in anything such as "statement games", especially this early in the year. What I do know is that all of us will be beaming during Thanksgiving if the Hawks go into the den of the league's current point-leader and beat them for the second time in two weeks. Should that happen, we can drop the "arguably" from the label the Hawks have as "arguably the league's best team right now." Make it happen.

We're just one game shy of a "Super Wednesday" in the NHL, as 28 teams will square off tonight. While the big game won't start until 10:30 p.m. on the East coast, here is the full rundown of games to keep you satisfied until then.

Ottawa Senators (12-6-2) at New Jersey Devils (14-5-1) - 7:00 p.m. EST

Game Thread at Silver Seven

Game Thread at In Lou We Trust

NHL Top Ten Power Rankings
	Rank	Last Wk	Team	Record	Comments
	1	4	Chicago Blackhawks	15-5-2	Seven straight wins have propelled Chicago to the top led by the two Patricks, Kane and Sharp.
	2	1	San Jose Sharks	16-5-4	Still unbeaten in regulation at home, and have a NHL-best +23 goal differential.
	3	3	Washington Capitals	13-5-6	Capitals fans are reeling after four losses in five games, although they did get points in two of those. Hey, it's the important things.
	4	8	Pittsburgh Penguins	16-8-0	Fours wins in five games is a good sign for an injured team. As guys keep returning - Letang, Goligoski, Kunitz, Kennedy, McKee - it can only get better
	5	5	Calgary Flames	13-6-3	A great road record (7-1-3) has helped Calgary overcome shaky play on home ice (6-5-0).
	6	2	New Jersey Devils	14-6-1	After an eight-game winning streak, the Devils have slowed a bit with three road losses.
	7	7	Philadelphia Flyers	12-8-1	Voters still feeling good about Philly, despite a three-game losing streak.
	8	6	Buffalo Sabres	12-6-2	One of the strongest defensive teams in the NHL has struggled lately, allowing 13 goals in the past three games (all losses).
	9	9	Colorado Avalanche	14-7-3	The incredible goaltending to start the season has caught up with the Avs a bit, who are 4-5-1 in the past ten games and are now 18th in the NHL in goals allowed.
	10	-	Detroit Red Wings	11-7-4	1-2-1 in the past week and are suddenly having some struggles scoring.

Eastern Conference Power Rankings
	Rk (Prv)	Team	Record	SB Nation Blog
	1 (2)	Washington Capitals	13-5-6	Japers' Rink
	2 (5)	Pittsburgh Penguins	16-8-0	PensBurgh
	3 (4)	Philadelphia Flyers	12-8-1	Broad Street Hockey
	4 (1)	New Jersey Devils	14-6-1	In Lou We Trust
	5 (3)	Buffalo Sabres	12-6-2	Die By The Blade
	6 (11)	Ottawa Senators	12-6-3	Silver Seven
	7 (9)	Boston Bruins	11-8-4	Stanley Cup of Chowder
	8 (10)	Tampa Bay Lightning	9-5-7	Raw Charge
	9 (6)	Atlanta Thrashers	10-7-3	Bird Watchers Anonymous
	10 (7)	New York Rangers	12-10-1	Blueshirt Banter
	11 (13)	Florida Panthers	10-9-3	Litter Box Cats
	12 (8)	New York Islanders	9-8-7	Lighthouse Hockey
	13 (12)	Montreal Canadiens	11-11-1	Habs Eyes On The Prize
	14 (15)	Carolina Hurricanes	5-13-5	Canes Country
	15 (14)	Toronto Maple Leafs	4-11-7	Pension Plan Puppets

Western Conference Power Rankings
	Rk (Prv)	Team	Record	SB Nation Blog
	1 (2)	Chicago Blackhawks	15-5-2	Second City Hockey
	2 (1)	San Jose Sharks	16-5-4	Fear The Fin
	3 (3)	Calgary Flames	13-6-3	Matchsticks and Gasoline
	4 (4)	Detroit Red Wings	11-7-4	Winging It In Motown
	5 (9)	Columbus Blue Jackets	12-7-3	The Cannon
	6 (8)	Dallas Stars	11-6-6	Defending Big D
	7 (6)	Colorado Avalanche	14-7-3	Mile High Hockey
	8 (5)	Los Angeles Kings	13-9-2	Battle of California
	9 (11)	Nashville Predators	13-8-1	On the Forecheck
	10 (7)	Phoenix Coyotes	13-10-1	Five For Howling
	11 (10)	Vancouver Canucks	12-11-0	Nucks Misconduct
	12 (12)	St. Louis Blues	8-9-4	St. Louis Game Time
	13 (13)	Edmonton Oilers	10-11-3	The Copper & Blue
	14 (14)	Minnesota Wild	8-12-2	Hockey Wilderness
	15 (15)	Anaheim Ducks	8-11-3	Battle of California

SBNation.com - NHL Full StoryStreams

Coyotes Prospect Viktor Tikhonov Reportedly Headed to KHL

3-2: Islanders' John Tavares Scores Game-Winner Over Penguins

Oilers' Winger Ales Hemsky to Have Season-Ending Surgery

In Progress: Dany Heatley's First Trip To Edmonton Sees Sharks Lead 1-0

Martin Brodeur Breaks Record In Bruins Win

Chicago Scores A Touchdown While Atlanta and Washington Pitch Shutouts In Wednesday Action

Ottawa Senators (12-6-2) at New Jersey Devils (14-5-1) - 7:00 p.m. EST

Toronto Maple Leafs (4-11-7) at Tampa Bay Lightning (9-5-7) - 7:00 p.m. EST

Buffalo Sabres (12-6-2) at Washington Capitals (13-4-6) - 7:00 p.m. EST

Atlanta Thrashers (10-7-3) at Detroit Red Wings (11-5-4) - 7:30 p.m. EST

New York Rangers (11-10-1) at Florida Panthers (10-9-3) - 7:30 p.m. EST

Montreal Canadiens (11-11-1) at Pittsburgh Penguins (16-8-0) - 7:30 p.m. EST

St. Louis Blues (8-9-4) at Dallas Stars (11-6-6) - 8:00 p.m. EST

Boston Bruins (11-8-4) at Minnesota Wild (8-12-2) - 8:00 p.m. EST

Nashville Predators (12-8-1) at Colorado Avalanche (14-7-3) - 9:00 p.m. EST

Los Angeles Kings (13-9-2) at Edmonton Oilers (10-11-3) - 9:30 p.m. EST

Phoenix Coyotes (13-10-1) at Calgary Flames (13-6-3) - 9:30 p.m. EST

Carolina Hurricanes (5-13-5) at Anaheim Ducks (8-11-3) - 10:00 p.m. EST

Chicago Blackhawks (15-5-2) at San Jose Sharks (16-5-4) - 10:30 p.m. EST

Canadiens Score Three In Third To Beat Blue Jackets

SB Nation's NHL Power Rankings, Week 8: Chicago Blackhawks Take Top Spot

Eastern Conference

Western Conference

Pascal Leclaire Fractures Cheekbone While Sitting On The Bench (Really)

Wild Trade Benoit Pouliot to Montreal For Guillaume Latendresse

Islanders, Predators, And Rangers All Win To Start Monday's Action

SB Nation's 2010 Olympics Hockey Preview

Atlanta Thrashers - Bird Watcher's Anonymous

Anaheim Ducks - Anaheim Calling

Boston Bruins - Stanley Cup of Chowder

Detroit's Kronwall To Miss 4-8 Weeks With Knee Injury

Lightning Strike Thrashers In Overtime

Stars' Forward James Neal Suspended Two Games

2009-2010 NHL Man Games Lost To Injury

Ducks Blow Three-Goal Lead, Hold On To Top Lightning 4-3

Blackhawks Score Six Unanswered Goals En Route To 7-1 Romp

Huselius Scores Twice As Blue Jackets Beat Stars 4-1

Blues Score Quick In OT, Top Coyotes 3-2