Game recaps, plus the latest on Dennis Wideman, Mika Zibanejad and Oscar Klefbom.
Game recaps.
MONTREAL GAZETTE: Carey Price made 27 saves for his seventh shutout of the season as the Montreal Canadiens blanked the Arizona Coyotes 2-0. The Habs finished their four-game U.S. West Coast road trip with a record of 1-2-1.
THE PROVINCE: The Vancouver Canucks rallied from a 2-0 deficit to down the San Jose Sharks 3-2. Canucks goalie Eddie Lack turned aside 38 shots, while Bo Horvat tallied the game-tying goal and Radim Vrbata potted the winner.
WINNIPEG FREE PRESS: Led by veterans Andrew Ladd, Mark Stuart and Blake Wheeler, the Winnipeg Jets downed the Nashville Predators 3-1, handing the Preds their sixth straight loss.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Canucks remain second in the Pacific Division with a two-point lead over the Calgary Flames, while the Jets (holders of the last wild-card berth in the Western Conference) open a three-point lead over the LA Kings and a six-point lead over the Sharks.
TORONTO SUN: The Maple Leafs dropped a lifeless 6-1 defeat to the St. Louis Blues.
Notable headlines.
CALGARY SUN: Flames coach Bob Hartley’s gamble this season on veteran blueliner Dennis Wideman has paid off, as the defenseman has turned around his season, earning an alternate captaincy for his efforts.
OTTAWA SUN: Overshadowed by the stellar play of call-up goalie Andrew Hammond is the offensive performance of Senators forward Mike Zibanejad, who has 10 points in his last 11 games, including a career-best 17 goals this season.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Zibanejad is showing signs of becoming the scoring forward the Senators envisioned when they drafted him sixth overall in the 2011 NHL Draft. He’s on pace to reach 22 goals and 50 points this season.
EDMONTON JOURNAL: Among the few bright spots in an otherwise miserable season for the Oilers is the play of promising defenseman Oscar Klefbom.
Sure did look like the people in the ACC last night are ready for a whole bunch more losses that come with a 5 year plan didnt it?
The other thing I found kinda amusing was all the Blues players turning the dumb bench cams around guess the Leafs arent the only players to hate having cameras in their face all the time… If it was Kessel or Phaneuf doing that Simmons would have been writting about their lack of character this morning and giving the thumbs down on the Reporters.
The good news for Canadian hockey fans is that six of the seven teams in Canada are playing well,including the Oilers whose performances have improved since the coaching change.
If you’re a Leaf fan, you know the bad news.