December 23, 2003
NHL Roundup
In Detroit, the Red Wings took a three point lead in the Central Division with a 2-1 win over St. Louis. Ray Whitney had the game winning goal for Detroit with only 5:15 remaining. The loss snapped a nine-game unbeaten string (7-0-2) for the Blues, who had been undefeated so far this month. The Blues have only lost twice in their las 14 games (9-2-3), but both of those losses have come against the Red Wings. Curtis Joseph, who has been playing better of late, had 24 saves for Detroit. As always, for a more in-depth wrap-up, check out On The Wings.
At Madison Square Garden, the Rangers clawed their way back to .500 with a 4-2 win over struggling Boston. Bobby Holik and Peter Nedved both scored twice for New York, but it was Mike Dunham's save on Patrice Bergeron in the final minute that preserved the win for New York. Boston is now 1-5-4 in their last 10 games, and owner Jeremy Jacobs isn't exactly happy.
Struggling Dallas won its first game in Carolina since 1998, a 3-1 win. Jere Lehtinen had two goals for Dallas. The loss was the first for Carolina since Peter Laviolette took over for ex-head coach Paul Maurice. In Montreal, the Canadiens kept pace in the Eastern Conference, beating Pittsburgh 4-1. Defenseman Sheldon Souray had a goal and an assist for Montreal.
In lovely Kanata, Todd White scored 1:34 into OT, to give the Senators a 3-2 win over visiting Florida. Martin Prusek had 19 saves for Ottawa in the win. Valeri Bure scored twice for Florida.
Phoenix got another third period goal on the road, this time from Shane Doan, as they earned a 3-3 tie with Nashville. Doan also added a pair of assists to frustrate Nashville, which wasted a hat trick from Scott Walker. In San Jose, the Sharks edged Anaheim 2-1. Jonathan Cheechoo had the game winner for San Jose, which has been quietly climbing the standings in the Pacific Divsion.
And in the game of the night, Vancouver came back from a three goal deficit to tie the Kings, 4-4. The game was the fifth straight home game for the Canucks that's gone into OT. Jarko Ruutu, who hadn't scored in 26 games, completed the comeback when he scored with 3:54 remaining in regulation. Ziggy Palffy scored twice for the Kings.
In the off-ice rumor mill, word out of Calgary is that the Flames are trying to restructure Jarome Iginla's contract to make it more financially palatable for the club. Over at Canucks Corner, Tom Benjamin has 5 reccomendations on how to improve the game. Start here and work your way backward. Over at SharksPage, PJ Swenson has a great holiday shopping guide for the table top hockey fan.
Heatley is back in body. His spirit is another matter.
In Duluth, Georgia, Dany Heatley of the Atlanta Thrashers practiced for the first time today since the car accident that took the like of teammate Dan Snyder. Heatley plans to talk to the press at a Friday news conference. Over at ESPN.com, Eric Adelson looks at how Snyder's death has transformed the Thrashers.
In Southern New Jersey, Donald Brashear of the Philadelphia Flyers has been charged with drunken driving. On a happier note, Peter Forsberg has started practicing with the Colorado Avalanche again, this after an abdominal injury has kept him off the ice for 18 games this season. In Toronto, a deal to sell Maple Leaf Gardens and turn it into a grocery store has collapsed.
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12:59 PM