NHL Hockey News

Avalanche officials are still awaiting word on the status of defenseman Ryan Wilson, center, who was hit in the head during a fight Wednesday night.

Manny Legace #34 of the Carolina Hurricanes clears the puck against the Atlanta Thrashers at Philips Arena on March 7, 2010 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010 at 9:45 p.m. / AP Anaheim Ducks right wing Bobby Ryan is greeted by his teammates after scoring against the Chicago Blackhawks in the first period of an NHL hockey game in Anaheim, Calif., Wednesday, March 17, 2010.

Mikael Backlund made the most of his chance to get back into the Calgary Flames lineup Friday.

Another day in the NHL, another night at the office for the head-shot police in Toronto.

Matt Cooke, the guy who brought the headshots issue to, well, a head, is expected to be in Boston Thursday night and the villagers have gathered at the castle with their pitchforks and flaming torches.

Red Wings forward Patrick Eaves will miss tonight’s game against the Canucks after getting hit in the head the previous night.

Was it really less than two weeks ago that the Canadiens were confronted with a high mountain to climb in terms of making the playoffs? There were 19 games left in the schedule after the Olympic break, the first four in Boston, San Jose, Los Angeles and Anaheim.

Jonathan Quick #32 of the Los Angeles Kings makes a play on the puck against the Dallas Stars on March 2, 2010 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.

Derek Roy #9 of the Buffalo Sabres pushes the puck up the ice against the Atlanta Thrashers at Philips Arena on January 14, 2010 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Nineteen years ago today, the St. Louis Blues and Chicago Blackhawks beat the living crap out of each other.

Limping to the finish line last year was an unforgettable experience. The Calgary Flames watched a 12-point lead over the Vancouver Canucks at the trade deadline disappear down the stretch.

Eric Nystrom’s second-period goal proved to be the difference, as the Calgary Flames staved off a late San Jose rally to post a 4-3 win over the Sharks at Pengrowth Saddledome.

Dominic Moore says he wanted to stay with the Maple Leafs. Dominic Moore claims he is not the greedy money-hungry boor some have portrayed him out to be.

It’s an undeniably giant achievement, but less flashy than three Stanley Cups, eight division titles or 11 100-point campaigns.

A poor recent stretch has caused the Ottawa Senators to lose ground in the Northeast Division race, while the Dallas Stars’ chances of reaching the postseason have taken a serious hit due to the team’s performance following the Olympic break.

Having already set a record for the most wins in the franchise’s history, the Phoenix Coyotes will face a big test tonight when they host the Chicago Blackhawks at Jobing.com Arena.

Jim Slater acknowledges that the thought crossed his mind, if only for a moment.

The Nashville Predators will aim for a fifth consecutive victory tonight when they welcome the Columbus Blue Jackets for a Central Division clash at Bridgestone Arena.

The Pittsburgh Penguins will try to hold onto first place in the Atlantic Division when the reigning Stanley Cup champions return to Mellon Arena for a Saturday matinee against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Christopher Higgins got the boot. Not out of town. It was to help him leave the Saddledome.

Both the Islanders and Ducks seem to have turned things around since costly losing streaks, but what remains to be seen is if the clubs are out of time.

Blackhawks defenseman Brent Seabrook doesn’t remember too much about the head-high hit he took from Anaheim Ducks defenseman and former teammate James Wisniewski.

About the only consensus the Buffalo Sabres can come to is their starts are often pitiful.

Andrew Ference was back in the Bruins lineup after missing eight games because he re-aggravated a groin injury.

By MIKE HEIKA FRISCO — As a defensive defenseman, Mark Fistric doesn’t have a lot of statistical data to evaluate his game.Sure, you can look at hits or blocked shots , but his real job is to keep the puck out of the net, right?So in a league where many question the validity of plus-minus, a defensive defenseman has to hold that statistic up …

Something strange happened at the Dome last night. There were cheers. Chants even.

They did it. The Phoenix Coyotes sold out a hockey game for the first time this season, and despite the ‘Yotes fan-friendly opponent, we have a feeling people are actually showing up to see the home-town team.

Saku Koivu scored 14 seconds into overtime after Lubomir Visnovsky tied it with 32 seconds remaining in regulation, and the Anaheim Ducks rallied from a two-goal, third-period deficit to beat the New York Islanders 5-4 on Friday night.

Let’s play Guess The Goalie. Yes, once again, the question of the day revolves around the Senators ‘tender: Who will Cory Clouston use against the Atlanta Thrashers? The answer: Where’s Mike Brodeur when you need him? Okay, so maybe the situation isn’t that dire.