NHL Notes 3/26

WILD FINISH
The only reason the Minnesota Wild are not comfortably leading the Northwest Division right now is because the Vancouver Canucks have been the hottest team in the NHL since Christmas.

That's not to say that the Wild have been cold, by any means. In fact, the team has peeled off nine wins in a row and are an outstanding 24-6-5 since Marian Gaborik's return from a groin injury on January 6.

Gaborik has 43 points in his last 33 contests, but he is not the sole reason for the team's surge. Minny's goaltending has been spectacular and they have been getting it from unexpected sources. While projected starter Manny Fernandez sat on the sidelines with a knee injury, newcomer Niklas Backstrom seized the No. 1 job going 16-3-3 in his last 22 contests. His goals against average of 2.12 is now tops in the league and his save percentage of 0.925 is also tops (tied with Nashvilleâs Chris Mason).

Whenever Backstrom has needed a break, rookie Josh Harding has provided equally stellar goaltending for Minnesota. The 22-year-old, undefeated this year, has posted a 3-0-1 record, while giving up just three goals in five appearances. Fernandez will sit out the remainder of the regular season while his knee recovers, but the Wild is getting along just fine without him.


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NEW YORK, NEW YORK
One of the bigger rivalries in NHL hockey saw another chapter unfold Sunday, but this one had a new twist.

It was the first time that the Islanders and the Rangers locked horns since the Chris Simon-Ryan Hollweg incident that saw the former receive a 25-game suspension and Hollweg sustain a vicious slash to the chin. Fortunately, that story sat on the backburner today as the two clubs desperately fought for two precious points that could mean the difference between a playoff spot and golf lessons.

In the end, it was a three-point game as the Islanders took it to overtime before falling 2-1. For the Rangers, the victory gave them a little breathing room in the battle for the final playoff spot and moved them into sixth place in the Eastern Conference. Henrik Lundqvist, playing in his 42nd of the last 43 Rangers contests, stopped 34 of 35 shots to pick up his eighth win in his last 11 games.

The Islanders, in picking up a single point, moved into a tie for eighth spot with the Montreal Canadiens and the Carolina Hurricanes. Miroslav Satan returned to action after missing one game for personal reasons. Prior to that missed game, Satan had appeared in 305 straight games.


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AVALANCHE
It was do or die time for Colorado on Sunday, as they headed into the evening's sole contest against the Canucks with the knowledge that the team they are chasing for the eighth and final playoff spot, the Calgary Flames, had pulled off a win earlier in the day. As usual, captain Joe Sakic did his part scoring a pair of goals, including the one that tied the game 4-4 midway through the third period, before the Avs pulled it off in the shootout. Brett McLean potted two goals in the game and coach Joel Quenneville thought it best to go with the hot hand in the shootout, slotting McLean as the first shooter. The latter scored the only shootout goal and, in the process, helped keep the Avs within five points of Calgary.

BLACKHAWKS
The 'Hawks welcomed back veteran sniper Peter Bondra and winger Jeff Hamilton on Sunday in hopes of playing the role of spoiler against the Calgary Flames. Their 2-1 lead dissipated in the third period, however, and Chicago eventually lost 3-2. Leading scorer Martin Havlat went goalless for the 12th straight game and has just five assists during that span.

BLUE JACKETS
Fredrik Modin notched the 400th point of his career against St. Louis on Sunday, as the Blue Jackets topped the Blues 4-1. St. Louis is one of those rare teams that Columbus has a winning record against this season, going 3-1-3 to date. Jason Chimera picked up three assists in the win. It was the first of a home-and-home for the two teams, with the next match set for Tuesday in St. Louis.

BLUES
St. Louis lost for the third time in four games on Sunday, dropping a 4-1 decision to the lowly Blue Jackets. The Blues were a dismal one for eight on the power play. Veteran Doug Weight scored the only goal for the Blues. It was his seventh goal since the trade deadline after tallying just six all season prior to that.

BRUINS
Goaltender Tim Thomas was chased from the net to start the second period on Sunday after the Penguins fired three goals past him on nine shots. Pittsburgh ended up winning the contest 5-0. It was Boston's seventh loss in 10 games, taking them completely out of the playoff picture. Marc Savard went his season-high fifth contest in a row without an assist.

CANUCKS
Henrik Sedin broke a franchise record with his 63rd assist of the season on Sunday. Vancouver lost the game against Colorado by the score of 5-4 in the shootout. Taylor Pyatt had his first two-goal game of the season while Daniel Sedin added three points in the loss. The Canucks managed just four shots in the second and third periods combined.

CAPITALS
The Caps announced on Sunday that winger Ben Clymer will undergo surgery for a sports hernia that has dogged him for the better part of the season. The surgery will effectively end Clymer's campaign, as it generally takes six to eight weeks to recover. Unfortunately for the Caps, this setback takes an effective utility player out of the lineup -- Clymer has spent time both on defense as well as forward this season.

FLAMES
Looking to stay ahead of the Colorado Avalanche for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference, the Flames came out flat in the first -- they were outshot and trailed 2-1 -- but finally put it together and squeezed by the Blackhawks, 3-3, on Sunday. Every win counts at this point for Calgary, as they face the Avs twice in the final week of the regular season. What's encouraging for the Flames is that it was a road win, where they've encountered all sorts of problems this season, and the third consecutive game where they displayed that gritty, defensive style of recent Calgary teams.

MAPLE LEAFS
They didn't play on Sunday night, but the Leafs still lost a little more ground in the Eastern Conference playoff race. With the Islanders earning a point against the Rangers, Toronto now sits 11th and is now chasing three teams with two more points each. Of the three, the Leafs only have a game in hand on Montreal. The third team that they are chasing, Carolina, will be in Toronto on Tuesday for the biggest game of the season thus far. Meanwhile, pivot John Pohl returned to action in Saturday's game against Buffalo, while Jeff O'Neill was a healthy scratch. Pohl missed three games because of injury (collarbone).

PENGUINS
Defenseman Mark Eaton returned to the lineup in time to help his team top the Bruins 5-0 on Sunday. He had been out with a knee injury. Sidney Crosby, feeling San Jose's Joe Thornton breathing down his neck for the NHL scoring title, padded his lead to seven points with a three-point effort. Marc-Andre Fleury picked up his fifth shutout of the campaign, kicking aside 29