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**StarDust Bum** · 11-11-2011, 07:23 PM

Preview: Flames (6-7) at Blackhawks (6-4)

Date: November 11, 2011 8:30 PM EDT

The Chicago Blackhawks and Calgary Flames both have been struggling on the power play this season, but each team has a reason to feel like it is about to turn things around.

Coming off a dominating road win, the Blackhawks return to the United Center on Friday night to take on the Flames, who will get Mikael Backlund back in the lineup.

Chicago (9-4-3) scored two power-play goals on three chances in a 6-3 win at Columbus on Thursday, snapping a three-game losing streak. The Blackhawks had gone 0 for 9 with the man advantage in their previous two games, temporarily dropping to last in the NHL on the power play at 8.8 percent (5 for 57).

Jonathan Toews had two goals and an assist Thursday while Andrew Brunette and Steve Montador had power-play goals in the second period. Chicago hadn't recorded more than one power-play goal in any of its first 15 contests.

"We had a real good first period and then all of a sudden we get the power play going and we get some excitement in our team, as well," coach Joel Quenneville said. "It was nice to see a couple nice plays, a couple nice finishes around the net."

The Blackhawks will try to build on that performance at home, where they are 0 for 20 on the power play the last four games and 3 for 36 (8.3 percent) this season. Despite those struggles, Chicago is 5-1-2 at home.

Calgary (6-7-1) has experienced its own problems on special teams, going 0 for 7 on the power play in a 3-0 loss to Minnesota on Tuesday. The Flames are 8 for 52 (15.4 percent) with the man advantage this season, although they are 6 for 18 on the road.

"We all got frustrated out there," forward Alex Tanguay said. "We all wanted to do a little bit more and we're all pressing it a little bit. We're confident we're going to be better and we're going to get ready for the next game."

They could be helped by the expected return of Backlund, who has been sidelined with a broken finger suffered during a practice prior to the season opener. He had 10 goals and 25 points in 73 games last season, primarily playing between Jarome Iginla and Tanguay.

"He is a quick guy and creative with that offensive instinct. I think he'll be a good boost for our team," Iginla said. "Last year, we were able to find some good chemistry as a line. ... Hopefully, we will be able to keep going where we left off."

Calgary has been in a scoring slump recently, scoring three goals in its last three games. Iginla has been held to one assist and is a minus-2 during that stretch.

Iginla has been more productive on the road, though, with three of his four goals coming in six contests away from home. Iginla's also had good success against the Blackhawks, with five goals and three assists in four meetings last season.

Including the 2009 postseason, however, Chicago is 14-4-0 in its last 18 against Calgary, winning nine straight at home by a combined score of 42-20. Toews had five points in last season's series.

**StarDust Bum** · 11-11-2011, 07:25 PM

Preview: Capitals (5-4) at Devils (3-5)

Date: November 11, 2011 7:00 PM EDT

The New Jersey Devils have been without three-time All-Star Ilya Kovalchuk for the past two games but haven't missed a beat.

The Washington Capitals have been without star defenseman Mike Green for nearly three weeks, and his absence has been quite apparent.

With the status of both uncertain for the opener of a home-and-home series Friday night at the Prudential Center, the Devils will look to win a season-high fourth straight while sending the suddenly struggling Capitals to a third consecutive defeat.

Kovalchuk has sat out the last two games for New Jersey (7-5-1) with a lower-body injury. The left wing, second on the team with nine points, has reported some improvement but did not practice Thursday.

"When you have players like that out of the lineup, your attention to detail, I think, gets better out of necessity," coach Peter DeBoer said after Tuesday's 3-2 win over Carolina.

Rookie center Adam Henrique certainly seems to be playing with greater focus.

Henrique scored the game winner at 16:41 of the third period Tuesday after scoring in overtime in Saturday's 3-2 victory over Winnipeg. All of his first four career goals have come during New Jersey's three-game winning streak, and Henrique is the first Devils rookie to be credited with the winning goal in two consecutive games since Patrik Elias on Nov. 8-10, 1997.

"The kid obviously has a knack for big goals,' DeBoer said of the 21-year-old.

"He has speed, skill, good size and a unique composure for a young guy. The game is moving on around him and nothing rattles him. I really like that about him. Pressure doesn't get to him and he's able to rise to the occasion.'

While Henrique is doing an outstanding job of carrying the offense in Kovalchuk's absence, the Capitals (9-4-0) are having a hard time finding someone to fill the void left by Green's injury.

Green has missed Washington's last six games with a sprained right ankle, but did fully participate in Wednesday's practice. He is still listed as day-to-day.

With Green in the lineup, the Capitals won the season's first seven games, allowing an average of 2.0 goals. Since he went down, Washington is 2-4-0 and is allowing double that.

The Capitals are coming off Tuesday's 5-2 loss to Dallas, the second straight game they surrendered five goals in a defeat.

"It's a mystery, because our group is much better than that,' forward Mike Knuble said. "We're a veteran group and that shouldn't happen.'

Knuble has one goal in his last eight games, but had three goals and two assists in three contests against New Jersey last season - all victories.

The Capitals went 3-1-0 against the Devils in 2010-11, outscoring them 15-3 in their victories. Alex Ovechkin, who leads Washington with six goals, had two goals and four assists.

Martin Brodeur has struggled against the Capitals lately, recording a 4.64 goals-against average in losing his last four starts against them - tied for his longest current losing streak against any opponent (Boston, Philadelphia). The four-time Vezina Trophy winner, who missed six games earlier this season with a right shoulder injury, has started the last two games for the Devils, allowing two goals in each.

Tomas Vokoun could be back between the pipes for the Capitals after getting the night off Tuesday. He is 1-2-0 with a 3.90 GAA in his last four starts, and 1-3-0 with a 2.28 GAA against the Devils since 2009-10.

**StarDust Bum** · 11-11-2011, 07:26 PM

Preview: Hurricanes (5-7) at Rangers (6-3)

Date: November 11, 2011 7:00 PM EDT

The combination of newcomer Brad Richards and Marian Gaborik didn't produce like New York Rangers coach John Tortorella had hoped, but now the team is getting plenty of contributions from its top line.

The Rangers look to win six straight for the first time in two years Friday night when they host a slumping Carolina Hurricanes team trying to get its offense in gear.

Signed to a nine-year, $60 million deal in the offseason, Richards was largely ineffective through the first eight games, with one goal and four assists.

Gaborik scored four times during that stretch as he played on the first line with Richards, and the result was a 3-3-2 start for the Rangers.

Since splitting the two forwards, New York (8-3-3) has scored 21 goals while going 5-0-1.

The top line of Gaborik, Derek Stepan and Artem Anisimov has eight goals and 14 assists during the winning streak after combining for seven points in Wednesday's 3-2 victory at Ottawa.

"I think we feel pretty good out there," said Gaborik, who has four goals and three assists during a four-game point streak. "Arty and Step are playing with a lot of confidence. We scored a couple of goals off great forechecks by those guys. Hopefully we can keep it up."

The Rangers, who last won six straight during a 7-0-0 run from Oct. 3-17, 2009, also will try to extend their winning streak at Madison Square Garden to five. They haven't done that since a 5-0-0 surge from Oct. 29-Nov. 8, 2007.

The Hurricanes (5-7-3) have dropped four straight away from home, and now they'll look to avoid their worst road losing streak since a franchise-record 13-game skid to open the 2009-10 season.

They've lost three in a row and seven of nine overall following Wednesday's 3-2 road loss to New Jersey.

Despite getting a goal which came off the stick of a Devils player, Carolina scored two or fewer for the fourth time in five games.

"It's tough to take," said center Brandon Sutter, who gave the Hurricanes a 1-0 lead with his second short-handed goal of the season. "We've had a tough go the last few games."

Carolina, though, could benefit from forward Jussi Jokinen (three goals, nine points) returning after missing three games with a lower-body injury.

Improved play by captain Eric Staal also could help. Staal, the club's leading goal scorer in four of the last six seasons, is pointless in the last six games and without a goal in nine straight.

Staal has three goals and an assist in the last three matchups at MSG and scored in the most recent one, but the Hurricanes lost 2-1 in overtime Jan. 5.

Returning to New York also has forced Staal to answer questions about his brother Marc, a Rangers defenseman who has not played this season due to post-concussion symptoms from a check delivered by Eric in a matchup at Raleigh on Feb. 22.

Henrik Lundqvist, who stopped 31 shots in the Jan. 5 meeting as New York snapped a three-game home losing streak to Carolina, has a 1.95 goals-against average while winning his three November starts.

Hurricanes goaltender Cam Ward has a 5.02 GAA during his personal three-game skid.

Ward, though, is 4-0-2 with a 1.77 GAA in his last six starts versus New York.

**StarDust Bum** · 11-11-2011, 07:28 PM

Preview: Stars (8-3) at Penguins (6-3)

Date: November 11, 2011 7:00 PM EDT

Having to face two of the best teams in the Eastern Conference, the Dallas Stars figured they'd be tested on their current four-game road trip.

They were more than up to the challenge in what seemed like a difficult matchup their last time out, however.

After handing Washington its first home loss of the season, the Stars carry plenty of momentum into Friday night's meeting with the Atlantic Division-leading Pittsburgh Penguins.

Dallas (11-3-0) missed the playoffs for a franchise worst-tying third straight season in 2010-11, but has looked every bit like a contender early on. The Stars lead the NHL in wins and are among the league leaders with 45 goals.

Dallas began its trek with a 5-2 win over Carolina on Sunday and continued its excellent all-around play Tuesday, defeating the Capitals 5-2 with three goals in the third period. Washington came in 6-0-0 at home.

The Stars, winners of four straight and three in a row on the road, conclude their trip Saturday against Detroit.

"It's a good measuring stick for us," coach Glen Gulutzan said. "We're trying to gauge ourselves against the league, coming into Washington and then heading to Pittsburgh and Detroit. (Tuesday) we liked our game. It just gives us confidence moving forward."

Dallas now faces another tough task against the Penguins, who are 4-1-1 at home while killing off all but one of their opponents' 15 power-play opportunities. The Stars have been outscored 17-6 during a four-game road skid in the series.

After back-to-back losses, Pittsburgh (9-3-3) regrouped to conclude a three-game trip with a 3-2 shootout victory over Los Angeles on Saturday. Chris Kunitz tied the game with 2:57 left in regulation before scoring the deciding goal in the fourth round of the shootout.

With five days off, there was speculation that Sidney Crosby, sidelined since Jan. 5 with a concussion, could make his much-anticipated return. Crosby, however, was ruled out by coach Dan Bylsma on Thursday and won't return until Tuesday at the earliest.

"You can't replace a guy like Sid. He obviously makes our team better when he's in the lineup," Kunitz said. "Right now everybody is pulling their own weight."

The Penguins have climbed to the top of their division with a gritty defensive effort, surrendering a league-low three power-play goals in 44 chances. Marc-Andre Fleury has turned away all 38 shots he's faced when Pittsburgh has been short-handed.

"Our penalty kill does a very good job in front of them, limiting opportunities and also giving (Fleury) shots that he can work with," Bylsma said. "(Fleury) doesn't give up a lot of rebounds, and when he knows where those shots are coming from, he's a big part of that penalty kill."

Fleury, 5-0-1 with a 1.44 GAA in his last six games, is 4-0-0 with a 1.96 GAA lifetime against Dallas. He'll look to slow down Dallas' rising star Jamie Benn, who's notched three goals and eight assists over a six-game point streak.

"Things are going pretty good right now," Benn said. "I think it's because we're playing a simple game and playing the right way. Guys are having fun and we're all buying in and getting big points on the road."

Kari Lehtonen, 11-1-0 with a 2.13 GAA, is 5-0-0 with a 1.77 mark on the road. However, he's gone 0-3-1 with a 3.21 GAA in his four games at Pittsburgh.

Penguins left wing Tyler Kennedy, sidelined the last nine games with concussion-like symptoms, is expected to be a game-time decision.

**StarDust Bum** · 11-11-2011, 07:30 PM

Preview: Senators (4-8) at Sabres (7-5)

Date: November 11, 2011 7:30 PM EDT

The Buffalo Sabres know they need to play better defensively even though they've produced good results lately.

The Ottawa Senators are heading in the opposite direction without captain Daniel Alfredsson.

Buffalo goes for a season-high fourth straight victory and sixth in a row in this Northeast Division matchup Friday night when the visiting Senators try to end a season-worst four-game skid.

Although the Sabres (9-5-0) pushed their winning streak to three with Tuesday's 6-5 overtime victory over Winnipeg, coach Lindy Ruff has major concerns about the play of his blueliners.

Tyler Myers and Andrej Sekera each were a season-worst minus-3 against the Jets.

"They didn't play well," Ruff said following Wednesday's practice. "They made some bad decisions, and it's been a little bit of our problem where we haven't had six guys play well back there. ... We made some ill-advised reads, we made a couple of tough plays into traffic and we got to clean those plays up."

While veteran defenseman Robyn Regehr said the important thing was that the Sabres found a way to win, there's no question the club needs better play from 2010 Vezina Trophy winner Ryan Miller.

Back in net Tuesday after a two-game benching behind backup Jhonas Enroth, Miller survived a three-goal first period and finished with 26 saves to avoid losing five consecutive games in regulation for the first time.

"It's not the easiest situation right now for me," Miller said. "... I want to help. And I want to get victories."

It's uncertain if Ruff will go with Miller or Enroth, who improved to 4-0-0 with a 1.41 goals-against average after making 25 saves in Saturday's 3-2 shootout victory in Ottawa.

The Sabres have won seven of eight in this series since dropping nine in a row to the Senators.

Ottawa (7-8-1), which has won its last two trips to Buffalo, opens a six-game trip with the first of three visits there this season.

It's uncertain if Alfredsson will be available after missing the last five games with a concussion. The Senators are 1-3-1 without him - and winless since a 6-0-0 run - following Wednesday's 3-2 loss to the New York Rangers.

"It's just day by day and talking to the coaches and seeing what they think," Alfredsson said after skating with the team prior to Wednesday's defeat. "This is a little different than any other injury I've had, so I want to make sure I feel good. ... I'll take it one day at a time and go from there."

Ottawa, which last lost five straight during an 0-9-2 skid Jan. 14-Feb. 9, has killed 11 of 12 penalties in the last four games but has gone 0 for 11 on the power play.

Craig Anderson has allowed 12 goals while starting each of these contests. He stopped 31 shots Saturday but was beaten on three of Buffalo's six shootout attempts, including the winner by Derek Roy.

Roy had two of the Sabres' season-best four power-play goals Tuesday and assisted on another.

Jason Spezza leads the Senators with 16 points but has only one over his last five games. He did not make the scoresheet Saturday, though the center has 13 goals and 13 assists during a 12-game point streak in Buffalo.

He scored twice with two assists the last time the Senators were in western New York, a 6-4 loss March 13.

**Kaptain** · 11-11-2011, 07:31 PM

gl with the Ice Plays tonight my man....

Don't just PUCK around, get em in....

**StarDust Bum** · 11-11-2011, 07:32 PM

Preview: Oilers (8-4) at Red Wings (6-5)

Date: November 11, 2011 7:30 PM EDT

The Detroit Red Wings have broken out of a scoring slump with back-to-back huge efforts. Now they'll try to keep that going against the NHL's hottest goaltender.

The Red Wings will try to extend their five-game winning streak over the Edmonton Oilers, who will start Nikolai Khabibulin in goal Friday night at Joe Louis Arena.

Detroit (7-5-1) totaled six goals during a six-game slide Oct. 22-Nov. 3 before scoring five in consecutive victories. Johan Franzen was held without a point during that slide before amassing four goals and two assists the last two contests.

"He's a huge, gifted man," coach Mike Babcock said.

Franzen will look to beat Khabibulin, who will be back in goal after backup Devan Dubnyk made 22 saves in Thursday's 6-3 loss at Boston.

Coach Tom Renney indicated that he gave Dubnyk that start because it was not against a Western Conference team, with the plan to start Khabibulin on Friday and probably Sunday at Chicago.

"This is a part of the schedule that we looked in September and suggested to ourselves that we would make sure that we would have to split," Renney said. "But it also gives us a chance to come back with Khabi tomorrow night, and should we hope to, the same thing against Chicago."

Khabibulin is 7-0-2 with a league-best 0.98 goals-against average. He's won six straight starts for the first time since an eight-game run Feb. 23-March 6, 2004, with Tampa Bay.

That streak ended with a 1-1 tie at Joe Louis Arena, where Khabibulin is 8-17-0 with two ties in 27 career starts including seven in the postseason. He's lost five straight in Detroit with a 4.14 GAA.

The Oilers (9-4-2) fell to 2-2-0 on this six-game trip by conceding a season high in goals Thursday. Ryan Smyth was a lone bright spot with two goals, and he now has 11 points during a six-game run.

"There were times when we kind of got together and played the way we had been playing this whole season," left wing Taylor Hall said. "And then, a turnover here, an overskate of the puck there kind of turned it around for them."

Renney blamed a poor start in which his team was outshot 10-3 as well as his club's numerous turnovers.

"We didn't want to stay with it," Renney said. "That's an immature look, that's an immature team and it's not just that we got young players doing that. We have veteran players turning pucks over."

Franzen has recorded all of his eight goals and 13 points in Detroit's seven wins. He had a hat trick in Tuesday's 5-2 win over Colorado after assisting on the Red Wings' first two goals in last Saturday's 5-0 win over Anaheim.

"We've been more relaxed since scoring the first two goals against Anaheim," Franzen said. "It seemed like the whole team got a load off our shoulders and we started to play better. We have the skill, but we had a lack of confidence."

Red Wings top goaltender Jimmy Howard is not far behind Khabibulin with a 1.79 GAA. Howard has a 1.97 GAA in winning his last four starts against Edmonton.

**StarDust Bum** · 11-11-2011, 07:33 PM

Preview: Canucks (7-7) at Ducks (4-7)

Date: November 11, 2011 10:30 PM EDT

The Anaheim Ducks are on the brink of their longest losing streak since the team was still deemed "mighty" and Randy Carlyle was a first-year coach.

Carlyle is hoping a team meeting and a positive attitude can help the Ducks snap their six-game slide when they host the Vancouver Canucks on Friday night.

Anaheim (5-7-3) is 1-6-3 in its last 10 games and at the bottom of the Pacific Division after losing six in a row, including a 4-2 defeat to Nashville on Wednesday.

"It's hard. We're letting each other down," said center Ryan Getzlaf, who has one point during the slide. "The little mistakes we're making are costing us. The last few games we were gripping the sticks pretty tight and trying to do a few more things than we need to. I thought we did a better job of staying within our system (Wednesday), but we had a few mental breakdowns, and it cost us."

Anaheim hasn't endured a longer skid since dropping eight in a row Nov. 3-20, 2005, when the team was known as the Mighty Ducks in Carlyle's first season behind the bench.

In an effort to end the current slide, during which the Ducks have been outscored 22-8 and gotten shut out twice, Carlyle held a team meeting Thursday.

"The one thing we try to do is not focus on the result now. The result is of most importance, but it's the process," he said. "If we continually focus on the result then there's a negative, so we're trying to be as positive as we possibly can and say to look at the things that are effecting the outcome; that's the process.

"Things you have to do and things we're not doing well enough to give ourselves the best chance for success."

One area of concern is in net, as Jonas Hiller is 1-5-3 with a 3.54 goals-against average and .888 save percentage in his last nine games. Backup Dan Ellis lost his only start during the losing streak Oct. 30, making 18 saves in a 3-1 loss at league-worst Columbus.

Carlyle may opt to turn to Hiller again since he's posted a 2.22 GAA while winning all four of his home starts against the Canucks (8-7-1).

Veteran Ducks winger Teemu Selanne doesn't have a point in his last three games. He hasn't endured a longer drought since going five games without a point March 6-17, 2010.

Selanne has nine goals and seven assists in his last 10 meetings with Vancouver, including five points last season as the team's split four matchups.

The Canucks are trying to conclude a six-game road trip with a third consecutive victory and prove they've shaken off their supposed Stanley Cup finals hangover. They improved to 3-2-0 on their jaunt after beating Los Angeles 3-2 on Thursday, and the team appears to be bonding away from home.

"Sometimes you need a little quality time together at the start of the year," said Roberto Luongo, who made 28 saves against the Kings. "We're a good team, we know that. It's just a matter of getting it together, executing on the ice and working hard. We didn't win the Presidents' Trophy last year for nothing."

The power play has helped key Vancouver's resurgence. The Canucks are 7 for 12 with the man advantage over their last two games, and 12 for 31 while winning four of six.

Daniel Sedin has five points in the last two games - three coming on the power play - to increase his season total to a team-high 20. The left wing has eight goals and 10 assists in his last 10 games against Anaheim.

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