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**StarDust Bum** · 11-12-2011, 03:04 PM

Preview: Canadiens (5-7) at Predators (7-5)

Date: November 12, 2011 7:00 PM EDT

When the Nashville Predators hit the road two weeks ago, Pekka Rinne was due to become an unrestricted free agent at season's end. The team has since rewarded him with the richest contract in franchise history, and Rinne has responded by winning each of his starts since.

Rinne could be in goal Saturday night looking to lead the surging Predators to a sixth win in eight contests in the opener of a five-game homestand against the Montreal Canadiens.

Nashville (8-5-2) concluded a solid 3-1-1 road trip against five playoff teams from last season with Thursday's 4-2 win over Anaheim. Rookie center Craig Smith had two goals and an assist, while Rinne made 31 saves for the Predators, who won't play on the road again until visiting Minnesota on Nov. 23

Rinne, who was given the night off for the first time this season in Tuesday's 4-3 loss to Los Angeles, has posted a 1.64 goals-against average in winning his three starts since signing a seven-year, $49 million contract with the Predators before last Thursday's game in Phoenix. He is also 5-0-1 with a 2.14 GAA and two shutouts since Oct. 27.

The Canadiens are no stranger to how strong Rinne can be between the pipes, as he has recorded a shutout in each of his last two starts in the series. In the last meeting between these teams Nov. 18, Rinne stopped 30 shots in a 3-0 victory, while former Predator Marcel Goc scored twice.

Montreal (6-7-2) arrives in Nashville after defeating the Coyotes 3-2 in overtime on Thursday, its first win in three contests. Josh Gorges scored the game-winner, Brian Gionta had a goal and an assist and Travis Moen also scored.

The Canadiens could have center Scott Gomez on the ice in Nashville for the first time since he suffered an upper-body injury in Pittsburgh on Oct. 20. Gomez, coming off a disappointing 2010-11, when he recorded a career-low 38 points in 80 games, has one assist in six contests this season.

Michael Cammalleri might also return after sitting out Thursday with a knee injury sustained in Tuesday's 3-1 loss to Edmonton.

"When you have guys out you have to have other guys chip in,' said Carey Price, who stopped 32 shots Thursday.

Price has started each of the last seven games for the Canadiens, going 5-2-0 with a 1.86 GAA, but has recorded a 2.50 GAA in losing his two career starts versus Nashville.

The Predators are expected to be without David Legwand after he missed his first game of the season Thursday because of an undisclosed upper-body injury sustained in the first period Tuesday.

Smith stepped up in Legwand's absence Thursday, and finished the trip with four goals and two assists. The 22-year-old is tied with Patric Hornqvist for the team lead with seven goals and has matched Legwand with a team-best 14 points.

"I've only had (Smith) for a short time, but he's just a really focused kid,' said Nashville coach Barry Trotz. "He's got dynamic speed. He wants to win those races for pucks and battles, and he's emerging as a really good player.'

With this game, Trotz will join Al Arbour, Billy Reay and Buffalo Sabres coach Lindy Ruff as the only coaches in NHL history to reach 1,000 games with one team.

**StarDust Bum** · 11-12-2011, 03:06 PM

Preview: Devils (3-6) at Capitals (6-4)

Date: November 12, 2011 7:00 PM EDT

The Washington Capitals have remained a force at home despite Alex Ovechkin's goal drought.

Another meeting with the New Jersey Devils could get the superstar going at the Verizon Center.

Ovechkin looks to build on yet another road goal and help the Capitals complete a sweep of this home-and-home set with the Devils on Saturday night.

Washington (10-4-0) has won six of seven home games after going 25-8-8 to lead the Eastern Conference with 58 points as host last season.

The Capitals have continued their success at Verizon Center even with Ovechkin searching for his first goal there this season. He has five assists at home with four coming on the power play.

Saturday could be the perfect time for Ovechkin to get that first home goal since the two-time league MVP has seven goals and 12 assists in his last 10 games against the Devils (7-6-1). He has four and seven in his past five home matchups.

Ovechkin scored his team-leading seventh goal in Washington's 3-1 victory at New Jersey on Friday. It was the fifth win in six games overall against the Devils for the Capitals, who have outscored New Jersey 16-4 in winning three straight meetings in the nation's capital.

"The Devils are always a tough test," left wing Jason Chimera said. "We always seem to get up for games with them."

Chimera's production certainly reinforces his claim. He's scored three goals the past five games with New Jersey, and netted a short-handed tally early in the third period Friday to end an eight-game drought.

Improvement on special teams will be key for the Devils as they try to gain a split of this home-and-home set after their three-game winning streak was snapped Friday.

New Jersey and Montreal have allowed a league-high three short-handed goals, but the Devils have surrendered one in each of the last two games.

New Jersey's power play also ranks at the bottom of the Eastern Conference, going 5 for 45 after failing to convert on all five chances Friday.

"I think it's a big problem," coach Peter DeBoer said. "We're all working and pushing for one, because the goals haven't been coming easy. So you tend to push a little extra for that goal and you get burned by it. It's obvious we have to find a way to get the power play going."

Not having Ilya Kovalchuk for at least one more game may hamper the power play again. The star left wing is expected to miss a fourth game in a row with an undisclosed lower-body injury, leaving New Jersey without its second-highest scorer at nine points.

Patrik Elias leads the team with six goals and eight assists and set up rookie defenseman Adam Larsson's first career score against the Capitals on Friday.

Elias has two goals and three assists in his last five games against Washington.

**StarDust Bum** · 11-12-2011, 03:06 PM

Preview: Sabres (8-5) at Bruins (6-7)

Date: November 12, 2011 7:00 PM EDT

After a dreadful start, the Boston Bruins are happy to have climbed back to .500.

Although on a much smaller scale, the Buffalo Sabres have also put their own difficult stretch behind them.

Both teams will be seeking a fifth straight victory Saturday night when the Northeast Division rivals meet at TD Garden.

Boston (7-7-0) has rebounded in a big way after a slow start. Following a three-game losing streak in which the team was outscored 10-5, the Bruins have won four in a row by a combined 24-8 score, including a 6-3 win over Edmonton on Thursday to get back to .500 for the first time since they were 1-1-0.

They are still tied with Montreal for the fewest points in the division, but the improved play gives reason for optimism. Two of the victories during the winning streak have come against Northeast rivals.

"We've started to build that confidence. We are playing better as a five-man unit and supporting each other all over the ice," said Milan Lucic, who has goals in a career-high five straight games. "We've learned a lot from the things we have gone through in the past and we don't get down anymore."

Lucic isn't the only player performing better. Brad Marchand, who scored twice Thursday, has a four-game point streak, while Tyler Seguin has five goals in the last three games and a five-game point streak.

The Bruins will try to pick up another two points against a division rival Saturday. However, the Sabres (10-5-0) have been just as hot, rolling to a 5-1 victory over Ottawa on Friday for their fourth consecutive win.

Derek Roy had a goal and two assists while Jhonas Enroth, making his third start in four games, made 36 saves. Roy has four goals in the last three games, extending his point streak to four games.

"We played a lot smarter game than we have in our last three or four," said coach Lindy Ruff, whose team had lost four of five before the winning streak. "Maybe as well played a night defensively by our six guys back there ... a consistent effort."

With his team playing on back-to-back nights, Ryan Miller could find himself back in net Saturday. Miller's inconsistent season continued against Winnipeg on Tuesday, when he gave up five goals on 31 shots before holding on in a 6-5 overtime win.

Miller, who was pulled less than 7 minutes into a 3-2 loss against Philadelphia on Nov. 2, was 0-4-0 with a 3.91 GAA in his previous four starts before beating the Jets.

"I have to remind myself that things aren't going to be perfect all the time and things aren't going to go my way all the time," Miller said. "I just have to battle through it."

While it will be a tough task to slow the surging Bruins, Miller has won his last four starts against them with a 3.15 GAA. The last two victories have come in Boston, where he's allowed five goals.

Thanks in part to Miller's play in net, the Sabres went 4-1-1 against the Bruins last season. Drew Stafford, who had a career high-tying three assists Friday, scored a team-high seven goals in the 2010-11 season series.

**StarDust Bum** · 11-12-2011, 03:07 PM

Preview: Penguins (7-3) at Hurricanes (5-8)

Date: November 12, 2011 7:00 PM EDT

James Neal is a major reason why the Pittsburgh Penguins are atop the Eastern Conference despite Sidney Crosby's absence.

Visiting the struggling Carolina Hurricanes isn't likely to change that, either.

Neal looks to continue his impressive start to the season and help the Penguins hand the Hurricanes a fifth straight loss Saturday night.

Crosby is trying to return from a concussion that has sidelined him since Jan. 5, but he's already been ruled out until at least Tuesday when Pittsburgh (10-3-3) hosts Colorado.

The Penguins are doing just fine without their superstar center, tying Chicago for the most points in the NHL.

Neal, the team leader with 16 points, is picking up the scoring slack with 11 goals, one back of league-leader Phil Kessel of Toronto and half way to his total from last season. The left wing had 21 goals with Dallas before getting one with the Penguins following a three-player deal in February.

He scored a pair of power-play goals in a 3-1 win over the Stars on Friday, helping the Penguins improve to 7-1-1 in their last nine.

"Of course when you play your former team, you want to do well," Neal said. "Especially with them doing so well and coming in here being a top team. It was a test for us and a test for them, and it feels good to be able to come out on top."

Neal has three goals in his last three meetings with the Hurricanes (5-8-3).

Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin, who has scored all four of his goals this season on the road, has 12 goals and 15 assists in 20 meetings with the Hurricanes, including six and three, respectively, in a sweep of the 2009 Eastern Conference finals.

Pittsburgh took three of four from Carolina last season, with the teams splitting two meetings at RBC Center.

The Hurricanes are mired in a 2-5-2 stretch, getting outscored 18-6 during a four-game losing streak.

Carolina last dropped five consecutive games from Nov. 23-30, 2009, and the team showed few signs of being capable of avoiding that in Friday's 5-1 loss to the New York Rangers. The defensive struggles continued as Cam Ward surrendered four third-period goals, the first two coming nine seconds apart midway through the stanza.

"It's 3-1, and we probably needed a timeout," coach Paul Maurice said. "I'm very disappointed with our effort. That was the turning point for sure."

It's unclear if Maurice will stick with Ward in net since he's lost every game during the current skid behind a 5.02 goals-against average. However, he's 7-2-1 with a 2.07 GAA in 10 regular-season home matchups with Pittsburgh.

If Ward is rested, Brian Boucher would get his first start since a 5-1 loss at Philadelphia on Oct. 29. He's 0-2-1 with a 4.14 GAA in four games - three starts.

Jeff Skinner, the reigning Calder Trophy winner, has been held without a point for two games after collecting four in the previous three - all at home. The center's six goals and 14 points lead the Hurricanes, but he hasn't managed a point while failing to score on 15 shots in four games against the Penguins.

**StarDust Bum** · 11-12-2011, 03:08 PM

Preview: Stars (8-4) at Red Wings (7-5)

Date: November 12, 2011 7:00 PM EDT

The Detroit Red Wings have posted two shutouts during a three-game win streak as they get ready to face a team they have struggled against in recent seasons.

The Red Wings look to extend their streak Saturday night as they host the Dallas Stars, who will try to get back on track after their four-game run ended.

Detroit (8-5-1) totaled six goals during a six-game slide Oct. 22-Nov. 3 before outscoring foes 13-2 during its current winning streak. Jimmy Howard posted his second shutout of the stretch with 24 saves Friday in a 3-0 victory over Edmonton.

"Jimmy has been playing great all year," defenseman Niklas Kronwall said. "Even when we were slumping, he was playing great and giving us a chance to win those games."

Howard has a 1.63 goals-against average this season. He's made seven straight starts, and is 2-4-1 with a 2.42 GAA in seven career starts against Dallas.

Dallas (11-4-0) has won three of four against Detroit in each of the last three seasons, and appears to be much improved in 2011-12, with one of the Western Conference's top records. The Stars, though, fell 3-1 at Pittsburgh on Friday to see their winning streak end at four.

Coach Glen Gulutzan's club could be short-handed on defense versus Detroit. Alex Goligoski did not see action the final two periods against the Penguins due to a thumb that was heavily bandaged.

Goligoski is scheduled to have X-rays taken on the thumb, and Gulutzan said he will be out for some time.

The Stars played with only four defensemen for the final seven minutes of the second period, as Mark Fistric went to the locker room after taking a puck to the face. Fistric returned for the third.

"I don't think we got off to the best start, and when you play four (defensemen) it's tough," Gulutzan said. "But I think, all-in-all, we were outplayed from the start of the game."

Dallas totaled 20 goals during its win streak, but managed only Eric Nystrom's first-period tally Friday.

The Stars' defense figures to be tested against Johan Franzen, whose nine goals and six assists have all come during Detroit's last seven victories. Franzen, who had an assist Friday, did not register a point during the Red Wings' six-game losing streak.

Detroit went 0 for 6 on the power play Friday after going 4 for 12 over its previous three games.

"We're getting closer to playing the way we want to play," Kronwall said. "We're still not taking advantage of power plays. We had a chance to break the game open earlier than we did."

Dallas goalie Kari Lehtonen has made seven straight starts, and he's 11-2-0 with a 2.20 GAA on the season. He's 3-3-0 with a 3.18 lifetime GAA against Detroit, while backup Andrew Raycroft is 5-2-0 with a 2.63 GAA in seven career starts versus the Red Wings.

Detroit right wing Todd Bertuzzi will miss his fourth straight game with a sinus infection.

**StarDust Bum** · 11-12-2011, 03:09 PM

Preview: Senators (4-9) at Maple Leafs (7-5)

Date: November 12, 2011 7:00 PM EDT

Goaltending has been a much-discussed issue in Toronto over the last week, but it appears Ben Scrivens has earned another start for the surprising Maple Leafs.

The rookie could make a second straight start Saturday night when Toronto hosts the Ottawa Senators, losers of a season-high five straight.

After Toronto (10-5-1) placed James Reimer on injured reserve Oct. 23 with concussion-like symptoms, Jonas Gustavsson started the next five games, but he was inconsistent and Scrivens has started three of the last four games with a relief appearance in the other.

After Gustavsson and Scrivens combined to give up 12 goals in losses to Boston and Florida, Scrivens was solid in a 3-2 shootout win over St. Louis on Thursday, making 38 saves.

When asked if the rookie would get another chance Saturday, coach Ron Wilson noted he would "ask the goaltenders' mothers," a reference to a Toronto newspaper story this week in which Reimer's mother questioned the severity of her son's injury.

While the Maple Leafs and Reimer's agent said he's making progress, the development of Scrivens has been one positive that's come out of a difficult situation. He is 2-1-0 as a starter, giving up eight goals.

Wilson said Scrivens is playing well, although he expects there to be a learning curve as he adjusts to the NHL.

"He's a talented athlete," Wilson said. "What he's got to go through is the experience of playing in this kind of market, dealing with the sudden fame and attention. That's hard to deal with if you're (used to) Cornell, where not a heck of a lot is going on. ... This is entirely different.

"There's no school you go to how to handle a crush of media and attention. You can't go anywhere and get that."

Despite an inconsistent presence in net, the Maple Leafs are near the top of the Eastern Conference. Phil Kessel has been the biggest reason for the team's success, leading the NHL with 12 goals and 23 points. He has a goal in each of his last two games.

Kessel had three goals and an assist in a 6-5 win over the Senators on Oct. 8, but was held scoreless in a 3-2 loss in Ottawa on Oct. 30.

The Senators (7-9-1) haven't won since that victory over the Maple Leafs, losing their fifth straight with Friday's 5-1 defeat at Buffalo. Craig Anderson was pulled after giving up two goals on six shots over the first 2 1/2 minutes. Alex Auld stopped 12 of 15 shots the rest of the way.

Coach Paul MacLean didn't know who would start Saturday, but was more focused on getting the offense to be aggressive.

Even the return of captain Daniel Alfredsson, who missed the previous five games with a concussion, failed to help a struggling offense. Ottawa has scored six goals in the last four games and went 1 for 4 on the power play after entering the night 0 for 11 the previous four games.

"We have to shore up some things,' forward Nick Foligno said. ``It wasn't a step back, but we have to re-evaluate how we need to play.'

Leading scorer Jason Spezza has cooled off considerably. He has no goals and two assists in his last six games after tallying five and six in his previous six.

This wasn't the way the Senators hoped to start a six-game road trip following an 0-2-1 homestand. Ottawa is 2-5-0 on the road, giving up 29 goals.

A visit to Air Canada Centre might not help. The Senators have lost nine of their last 13 visits to Toronto.

**StarDust Bum** · 11-12-2011, 03:10 PM

Preview: Jets (4-8) at Blue Jackets (2-12)

Date: November 12, 2011 7:00 PM EDT

The Columbus Blue Jackets have been giving up goals at an alarming rate.

Facing the slumping Winnipeg Jets could help the NHL's worst team get things turned around.

The Blue Jackets try to avoid a fourth consecutive loss Saturday night when they host a Jets team looking to snap its four-game skid with a complete 60-minute effort.

Off to the worst start in franchise history, Columbus (2-12-1) has been outscored 19-6 during its three-game losing streak, including 17-2 in the first two periods. The Blue Jackets trailed 5-1 after the first 40 minutes in Thursday's 6-3 loss to Chicago.

"We look like a group that's very fragile," said coach Scott Arniel, whose team has allowed a league-high 22 first-period goals. "I mean, we got off to a very slow, fragile start. Then they scored a couple of power-play goals and it was obviously wide open after that."

Poor special teams play is nothing new to the Blue Jackets, who have the league's worst penalty kill at 71.2 percent.

"Any mistake we (make) it just ends up in the back of the net," defenseman James Wisniewski said. "... We just have to stop feeling sorry for ourselves and start playing some hockey."

So do the Jets (5-8-3), who arrive in Columbus following Thursday's 5-2 loss to Florida. Playing its first home game in 17 days, Winnipeg managed just 10 shots through two periods and trailed 4-0. Tim Stapleton and captain Andrew Ladd scored in the opening 5:40 of the third as the club outshot the Panthers 17-5.

"We were standing around watching," Ladd said. "We didn't play the way we need to play in the first 40 minutes. The last 20 was more like the way we need to play."

Winnipeg has been outscored 11-4 in the opening 40 minutes during its season-high skid.

The Jets-Atlanta Thrashers franchise has not scored in the first period while losing five in a row to Columbus, getting shut out three times.

Ondrej Pavelec has lost all three of his starts against the Blue Jackets and has a 4.01 goals-against average during Winnipeg's current skid. He gave up four goals Thursday and was replaced by Peter Mannino for the final 20 minutes, so Jets coach Claude Noel could give Chris Mason his first start since Oct. 24.

Mason was removed from injured list Friday after being out with a groin injury. He is 16-4-2 with a 2.05 GAA in 22 starts versus Columbus.

Whoever is in net will take on a Blue Jackets team that has scored just once in the last three games when not trailing by at least four goals.

Having newcomer Jeff Carter in the lineup could provide a much-needed boost for Columbus - among the league's worst on the power play at 11.4 percent - but it's uncertain when the All-Star center will return. He's missed 10 games with a fractured right foot.

The Blue Jackets, though, have to be pleased with center Mark Letestu, who scored Thursday just two days after being acquired via trade from Pittsburgh.

Captain Rick Nash recorded his 500th career point by setting up Letestu's goal and is tied with Vinny Prospal for the team lead with eight assists.

Columbus made another deal Friday, trading Kris Russell to St. Louis for fellow defenseman Nikita Nikitin.

Goaltender Steve Mason has stopped 58 of 75 shots in three starts this month for a Columbus team surrendering a league-worst 3.87 goals per game.

**StarDust Bum** · 11-12-2011, 03:11 PM

Preview: Lightning (5-5) at Blues (6-7)

Date: November 12, 2011 8:00 PM EDT

The Tampa Bay Lightning have been able to maintain their composure when facing a deficit.

New St. Louis Blues coach Ken Hitchcock would prefer if his team's special teams improved so it could avoid those situations.

Tampa Bay goes for its fourth straight victory Saturday night when the Blues look to extend their longest home point streak in nearly a year to six games.

While Lighting coach Guy Boucher is not pleased his team has been outscored 18-11 in the first period this season, the club holds a 19-11 scoring edge in the third period and overtime.

Tampa Bay (8-5-2), winner of seven of nine, has trailed in the final minute of the second period in each game during its winning streak.

"I think part of our success is not getting sidetracked from our game plan," center Dominic Moore told the Lightning's official website after assisting on Brett Connolly's overtime goal in Wednesday's 2-1 victory over Philadelphia. "We have stuck with it enough times and have had success that we know we have the ability to make those plays when we have to. That's a good sign."

So is Connolly's ability to crash the net. The rookie forward has three goals in four games after not scoring in his first 11 this season.

"We're very impressed with him," Boucher said.

Lightning goaltender Dwayne Roloson has also been outstanding, posting a 1.70 goals-against average during the winning streak.

He is 7-2-1 with a 1.58 GAA in his last 10 starts against St. Louis.

Roloson could be in net as Tampa Bay tries to extend its point streak in this matchup to eight. Vincent Lecavalier's power-play goal gave the host Lightning a 4-3 overtime win Feb. 6 in the teams' only meeting in 2010-11.

Tampa Bay has won two straight in St. Louis after dropping 10 in a row there.

The Blues (7-7-1), though, are 4-0-1 in their last five on home ice following Thursday's 3-2 shootout loss to Toronto. Coming off Tuesday's 3-0 victory over Chicago - Hitchcock's first game after Davis Payne was fired Sunday - St. Louis outshot the Maple Leafs 32-8 after falling behind 2-0 in the first 20 minutes.

Both goals came on the power play.

"We did a lot of play with our eyes and not our legs,' Hitchcock said. "You can't kill penalties if you just play with your eyes.'

While the Blues have plenty of room for improvement after falling to 14th in the Western Conference under Payne, the Blues have already made noticeable improvements since Hitchcock's arrival.

St. Louis is 2 for 7 on the power play in two games after being a league-worst 7.5 percent (3 for 40) under Payne's watch.

The addition of defenseman Kris Russell could also be an upgrade for the Blues' special teams after he was acquired Friday from Columbus for Nikita Nikitin.

Blues goaltender Jaroslav Halak has turned aside 49 of 51 shots in the last two contests after opening 1-6-0 with a 3.35 GAA.

However, containing Marc-Andre Bergeron (13 points and 16 assists), Steven Stamkos (10 goals), Martin St. Louis (11 assists and 14 points) and Lecavalier (12 points) could be a tall task. They have combined for six goals and 10 assists during the winning streak.

Stamkos had a goal and three assists Feb. 6, while Bergeron and St. Louis - who has four goals and nine assists during a seven-game point streak against the Blues - each set up two scores.

**StarDust Bum** · 11-12-2011, 03:12 PM

Preview: Flames (6-8) at Avalanche (3-7)

Date: November 12, 2011 10:00 PM EDT

The Calgary Flames may be at the bottom of the Northwest Division, but the Colorado Avalanche haven't been able to solve them.

The struggling Flames look to earn their eighth straight win over the Avalanche overall and their seventh in a row in Denver on Saturday night in these clubs' third meeting of 2011-12.

Calgary (6-8-1) has the second-fewest points in the Western Conference, and fell 4-1 at Chicago on Friday. The Flames have totaled four goals while losing three of their last four games.

"We had our opportunities and we never capitalized on them,' coach Brent Sutter said. "Five-on-five we had a couple breakdowns that cost us two goals. That's the outcome of the game."

Miikka Kiprusoff made 27 saves in the loss. He's posted a 1.52 goals-against average, however, while winning his last eight starts against Colorado (8-7-1), and has yielded a total of six goals while prevailing in his last five outings at the Pepsi Center.

All seven consecutive victories over the Avalanche for the Flames have come with Kiprusoff in goal since backup Henrik Karlsson made his lone start against Colorado in a 6-5 loss Oct. 28, 2010.

The Avalanche have lost three times by one goal over the last seven meetings, and two other times have fallen by two only after conceding empty-net tallies.

Colorado may be feeling a little better about itself after rallying from three goals down in the second period Thursday for a 4-3 overtime win over the lowly New York Islanders. Kyle Quincey scored on the power play in the extra session.

"It definitely wasn't our best hockey the first two periods. But sometimes that is the way it goes,' right wing David Jones said. "Put pucks to the net and find a way to win, especially at home."

Avalanche goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere improved to 3-1-0 with a 2.22 GAA after he made 30 saves.

"We showed a lot of leadership. Guys were speaking up on the bench and we weren't accepting being down," Giguere said. "It wasn't pretty in the second period, but we found a way to get our energy and get our legs under us. When we scored that big goal it gave us a lot of energy."

Giguere's lone loss of the season came at Calgary on Oct. 26, his third straight defeat to the Flames.

Semyon Varlamov could get the start Saturday, though he's struggled recently. He's 0-3-1 with a 4.29 GAA in four games this month, and 1-5-0 with a 2.36 GAA in six starts at home this season.

Avalanche center Peter Mueller has not played since Oct. 12 due to a head injury, but he could return Saturday after taking part in Thursday's morning skate.

"All we can do is stay patient with him,' coach Joe Sacco said. "He'll get back in that lineup pretty soon.'

Despite its mediocre record, Colorado owns the league's best power play at 29.6 percent. Erik Johnson is among the league leaders with eight assists with the man advantage.

Avs center Paul Stastny has 13 goals and 36 points in 32 career games against the Flames, his highest totals against any team.

**StarDust Bum** · 11-12-2011, 03:12 PM

Preview: Wild (5-4) at Kings (5-6)

Date: November 12, 2011 10:30 PM EDT

After opening the season in stellar fashion, Los Angeles Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick has matched the longest losing streak of his career.

It hasn't entirely been his fault, however.

Playing behind a sputtering offense, Quick could be in net Saturday night for the Kings when they host a Minnesota Wild team trying to bounce back from its first loss in two weeks.

Quick was instrumental to Los Angeles' brilliant start to 2010-11, compiling a 6-0-1 record with a 1.12 goals-against average and an NHL-best three shutouts through Oct. 27. He hasn't won in six starts since, however, posting a 2.95 GAA while going 0-4-2.

It seems likely Quick, who also lost six consecutive decisions from March 25-April 10, 2010, will be back in goal Saturday despite his skid. He just got a night off Tuesday - a 4-3 win over Nashville - to snap his string of six straight starts for the Kings.

Quick, 6-2-1 with a 2.51 GAA lifetime against Minnesota (8-4-3), was back in net Thursday, stopping 29 shots in a 3-2 loss to Vancouver. Two of the goals he allowed, though, came when the Kings were a man down as they let the opposition have six power plays for a fourth straight game.

Los Angeles (7-6-3) got off to an awful start against the Canucks, falling behind 3-0 in the first period as they were outshot 12-3. Drew Doughty scored in the second period, but the Kings didn't get another goal until Mike Richards knocked in the puck with 1:10 to play with Quick on the bench for an extra attacker.

Offensive woes like that have been an ongoing problem for Los Angeles, which has been held to two goals or fewer in nine of 11 games.

Dustin Penner has no goals through 14 games after scoring 23 last season, while captain Dustin Brown and Justin Williams each has gone seven straight games without one.

"We should be scoring more, especially myself right on top of the list," said Williams, who had 22 goals last season. "We need to find ways when we're down in games to come back. We need a comeback win, just for our psyche and our confidence to know that we can come back."

It could be tough for the Kings, who went 2-0-2 against Minnesota last season, to get their offense on track if the Wild go with Josh Harding in goal.

Harding has a 0.75 GAA with a shutout in winning his last four starts, but he's backed up Niklas Backstrom in Minnesota's last two games.

Backstrom stopped 41 shots in Tuesday's 3-0 win over Calgary, extending the Wild's winning streak to five games, before turning aside 33 shots in Thursday's 3-1 loss to San Jose. It was Minnesota's first defeat since Oct. 27.

Kyle Brodziak scored Thursday's lone goal for the Wild, who had killed 23 consecutive short-handed situations before allowing two goals in two power plays in the second period.

"They scored two power-play goals, and that was the difference," Backstrom said. "We played OK but I know we can play a lot better. We have to learn from that and move on."

Backstrom was 1-1-1 with a 1.59 GAA and a shutout against the Kings last season.

Minnesota's Devin Setoguchi, who has four goals and four assists, had three goals and an assist in six games against the Kings in 2010-11 with San Jose.

Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles' leader with eight goals, had two goals and four assists against the Wild last season.

**StarDust Bum** · 11-12-2011, 03:14 PM

Preview: Coyotes (6-4) at Sharks (6-4)

Date: November 12, 2011 10:30 PM EDT

When it comes to converting on the power play at home, no team is better than the San Jose Sharks.

Over the last month, no club has been better than the Phoenix Coyotes at killing penalties on the road.

The Sharks go into Saturday night seeking their seventh straight home victory over the Coyotes, who will try to extend their road winning streak to four to begin a lengthy trip.

With Patrick Marleau scoring a pair of second-period power play goals in Thursday's 3-1 win over Minnesota, San Jose (9-4-1) has now converted a league-best 30.0 percent (9 for 30) with the man advantage at home.

"If you keep taking penalties and giving them chances, eventually they are going to score," said Wild forward Dany Heatley, a former Shark.

Joe Pavelski scored two of San Jose's season-best three power-play goals - Ryane Clowe had the other - in a 6-3 season-opening victory over the visiting Coyotes.

The Sharks scored just four times while losing their next three games, but they've since finished with at least three goals in nine of 10 games while going 8-1-1.

Phoenix (7-4-3) is on a 5-1-2 run but faces a stretch of six road games in 10 days following Thursday's 3-2 overtime loss to Montreal.

"Obviously we wanted two (points), but one point is better than no points," center Cal O'Reilly told the Coyotes' official website after earning his first point since being acquired from Nashville two weeks ago - an assist on Mikkel Boedker's goal.

"We got to come in San Jose and get two points and start that road trip off right."

The Coyotes, though, have lost 10 of 11 in this Pacific Division matchup and six in a row at San Jose. They've given up nine power-play goals in the last four visits, but they enter Saturday having allowed just three in 13 games since the Oct. 8 loss to the Sharks.

Phoenix has killed all 18 penalties away from home since that matchup and have won three straight on the road. The only other team not to give up a power-play goal on the road since Oct. 10 is Buffalo (11 times short-handed).

The Coyotes didn't allow one for the sixth straight game overall Thursday, and Mike Smith made 17 of his 33 saves in the first period. He's 5-0-2 with a 2.37 goals-against average in his last seven starts.

"If Smitty doesn't make some good saves for us, we're way behind in the first period," coach Dave Tippett said. "We were lucky to come out (ahead) 1-0."

The Coyotes can't afford a repeat effort against a San Jose team averaging a league-best 40 shots at home, including 52 in the first game with Phoenix. Smith fell to 0-2-0 with a 5.58 GAA in two starts in San Jose.

Sharks top netminder Antti Niemi missed that game following offseason knee surgery but is 5-1-1 with a 2.12 GAA against Phoenix.

Pavelski has six goals - four on the power play - and four assists during the club's home winning streak versus Phoenix.

Coyotes captain Shane Doan scored two power-play goals in the first meeting but has just two overall since that matchup.

**Kaptain** · 11-12-2011, 04:34 PM

thanks for the frozen pond info, and gl with your plays

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