Hockey News

PITTSBURGH - It took Sidney Crosby at the top of his game to put the Pittsburgh Penguins back in the hunt for the Stanley Cup.

Crosby scored Pittsburgh’s first two goals of the series and Adam Hall got the game-winner as the Penguins came alive with a 3-2 victory over the Detroit Red Wings in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup final on Wednesday night. The Red Wings, who shut out Pittsburgh in consecutive games in Detroit, lead the best-of-seven series 2-1 with Game 4 set for Saturday night at Mellon Arena.

(more…)

QUEBEC - The no-name Swedes are starting to look familiar at the IIHF World Hockey Championships.

Mattias Weinhandl scored 3:15 into overtime Wednesday to give Sweden a 3-2 victory over the Czech Republic and a berth in the semifinals, where it will face Canada on Friday.

It is the eighth consecutive year Sweden will play in the semifinals, where it lost 4-1 to Canada last year in Moscow.

But this may be the sweetest of all, as the Swedes did it without most of their top NHL stars, such as Mats Sundin, Peter Forsberg, and a handful of the Detroit Red Wings now battling for the Stanley Cup like Nik Lidstrom, Henrik Zetterberg and Tomas Holmstrom.

(more…)

TORONTO - Toronto Marlies left winger Bates Battaglia scored late in the first overtime period to beat the visiting Syracuse Crunch 4-3 in second-round American Hockey League playoff action on Friday night.

Battaglia, standing in front of the Crunch crease, got a stick on David Ling’s centring pass and deflected the puck past Syracuse netminder Karl Goehring at 18:35 of the first extra frame.

“Linger made a great pass and I was just in the right place,” Battaglia said. “He put the puck right on my stick. I was trying to get to the net and Ling made a great play and I just shovelled it in.”

(more…)

MONTREAL - It was Martin Biron’s night to shine in goal for the Philadelphia Flyers.

Biron made 34 saves and his good friend Daniel Briere got the game-winner as the Flyers downed the Montreal Canadiens 4-2 in the NHL playoffs on Saturday night.

The victory evened the best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal series at 1-1 with the next two games in Philadelphia on Monday and Wednesday.

“It felt good,” said Biron. “A couple of bounces went against us in the last game and this time a couple went our way - that was the difference.”

(more…)

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -In his first 18 NHL seasons, Jeremy Roenick would have celebrated a decisive playoff win in old-time hockey fashion by downing a few cold beers, or perhaps a good glass of wine.

After propelling the San Jose Sharks into the second round with a four-point performance in Game 7 against Calgary, Roenick was in high spirits, but not because of anything he was about to drink.

“I guess I’ve got to go have a soda water right now,” he said with a smirk.

(more…)

For the second straight game, Tim Jackman scored twice but the outcome was not the same as Friday night when the Sound Tigers beat the Lowell Devils. Instead, the Hartford Wolf Pack ended their hopes of making to the Calder Cup Playoffs by defeating the Sound Tigers by the score of 5-2.

Hartford took the 1-0 lead 6:31 into the first period when Michael Sauer tapped in his third goal of the season. Alex Bourret took a break-out pass from Thomas Pock and skated into the Sound Tigers’ zone. Sauer crept in from his point position and Bourret fed a cross-ice pass to Sauer who tipped the puck past MacDonald to give the Wolf Pack the lead. Artem Anisimov made it 2-0 in favor of Hartford with less than two minutes remaining in the period. Hugh Jessiman created a turnover in front of the Sound Tigers’ goal and fed a pass to Anisimov at the right post for his 16th tally of the season. About 30 seconds after the goal, Jessiman took a two-minute minor for hooking, putting the Sound Tigers on the power-play. Kyle Okposo set the play up in the zone and chipped a quick pass to Ben Walter just off the left post for a shot. The rebound popped into the air to Tim Jackman where he banged the fluttering puck into the net for his 14th tally of the season coming with only 14 seconds left in the opening frame.

(more…)

BELLEVILLE, Ont. - P.K. Subban scored 1:06 into overtime on Wednesday as the Belleville Bulls defeated the Oshawa Generals 4-3.

It spoiled a great night for Oshawa’s Brett McLean, who scored his league-best 60th and 61st goals of the season. Adam Perry, Shawn Matthias and Tyler Randell had goals in regulation for Belleville (47-13-4-2).

Patrick Asselin scored other goal for the Generals (37-16-6-7).

Mike Murphy made 18 saves (more…)

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Edmonton wasted no time bouncing back from what could have been a major letdown.

Andrew Cogliano scored 1:53 into overtime as the Oilers held off Columbus 2-1 on Friday night after the Blue Jackets tied it with less than one second left in regulation. “Sometimes you have to dig yourself off the tarmac, and we did in this game,” Edmonton coach Craig MacTavish said.

Dan Fritsche scored his ninth of the season to tie it for Columbus with eight-tenths of a second remaining, but made a costly mistake in the extra period. Fritsche turned the puck over in his own zone, resulting in Cogliano’s goal.

(more…)

PHILADELPHIA - Philadelphia’s Jeff Carter enjoys the added responsibility.

Carter scored his second goal with 1:54 left in the third period and the Flyers defeated Tampa Bay 3-2 to snap a five-year home losing streak against the Lightning.

“I just take it and run with it,” said Carter, a third-year player who has recorded at least a point in four straight games (five goals, two assists). “I’ve never been in such a situation where you’re relied upon so heavily. I kind of like it.”

Carter, who has a career-high 25 goals, has given a big lift to the hurting Flyers. Philadelphia is without key offensive performers such as Simon Gagne, out for the year with a concussion; Mike Richards, out for another two weeks (hamstring), and Joffrey Lupul, day-to-day (high ankle sprain).

(more…)