National Hockey League news: March 2, 2008

March 2, 2008

There were 10 games played in the National Hockey League on March 1, 2008.

Atlanta Thrashers @ Boston Bruins
Glen Murray put Boston on the board first with his 15th goal of the season. Ilya Kovalchuk scored a penalty shot goal 35 seconds later to tie the score. Jim Slater had an unassisted goal late in the third period to give the Thrashers their first lead of the game. Boston tied the score at 11:53 in the third when David Krejci scored his third goal in three games to force overtime. Phil Kessel scored the only goal in the shootout giving Boston the win, their sixth in a row. Tim Thomas made 26 saves for the Bruins, improving his season record to 24-14-4.

Philadelphia Flyers @ New York Islanders
Jeff Carter scored the first goal of the game 13:59 into the first period, giving the Flyers their first lead of the game. Bill Guerin's power play goal in the second period tied the score for the Islanders. Braydon Coburn would score a power play goal of his own a few minutes later to retake the lead for Philadelphia. In the third period, Mike Knuble scored a shorthanded goal to put the Flyers up by 2. An empty net goal by Scottie Upshall in the closing minute of regulation secured Philadelphia's victory, their third in three games. Martin Biron stopped 33 of New York's 34 shots.

Pittsburgh Penguins @ Ottawa Senators
Ryan Malone put the Penguins on the scoreboard first 8:43 into the first period. Antoine Vermette tied the score for Ottawa later in the period, which was closely followed by Daniel Alfredsson's goal to give the Senators their first lead of the game. Pittsburgh tied the score when Petr Sykora scored a power play goal with 12 seconds left in the first. Alfredsson scored his second of the night 1:30 into the second with a short handed goal. Malone tied the score at 3 goals a piece just over a minute later. Later in the second period, Martin Lapointe and Dany Heatley each scored a power play goal to give the Senators a two goal advantage. Evgeni Malkin brought the Penguins within one in the third period, but the Senators held on to the one goal lead, picking up their first win in four games, and their first under acting head coach Bryan Murray. Malkin had three points on the night for Pittsburgh, assisting on both of Malone's goals. Alfredsson had an assist to go with his pair of goals.

New Jersey Devils @ Montreal Canadiens
Montreal broke a scoreless tie 6:11 into the second period with Mark Streit's power play goal. Brian Gionta put the Devils on the board, tying the score at 13:37. Andrei Kostitsyn scored the game winning goal 14:17 into the third period. Rookie goaltender Carey Price made 31 saves to help the Canadiens pick up their third straight win.

Toronto Maple Leafs @ Washington Capitals
Alexander Ovechkin scored his first goal in 7 games, giving the Capitals the first lead of the game in the first period. Nik Antropov tied the score just over a minute into the second period with a power play goal. Toronto captain Mats Sundin scored to give Toronto their first lead of the game. In the third period, Alexander Steen was assisted by Sundin in scoring his 13th goal of the season. Viktor Kozlov was assisted by Ovechkin to bring Washington within one goal, but Leafs goalkeeper Vesa Toskala helped his team hold onto the one goal lead through the rest of the game. Toskala made 26 saves, earning his fourth win in five decisions.

Tampa Bay Lightning @ Carolina Hurricanes
Jeff Halpern scored the first goal for Tampa Bay, which gave them the first lead of the game 7:04 into the first. Eric Staal tied the score later in the period, which was his 31st goal of the season. Joe Corvo gave the Hurricanes their first lead of the game 1:02 into the second period. Sergei Samsonov scored back to back goals, first on a power play just over the halfway point of the second period, then at even strength 4:02 into the third. Tuomo Ruutu scored his first goal as a Hurricane, putting his team up by 4 a couple minutes later. Cam Ward made 22 saves, 18 of which came in the first two periods. Carolina outshot Tampa Bay 33-23 throughout the game.

Los Angeles Kings @ Colorado Avalanche
After a scoreless first period, Mike Cammalleri gave the Kings the first lead of the game 3:37 into the second period. Ryan Smyth scored a pair of back-to-back goals minutes later to take the lead for the Avs. Ruslan Salei also scored in the second period for Colorado. In the closing minute of the second period, Smyth was checked hard into the boards by Kings defenseman Jack Johnson. Smyth had to be taken from the ice by a stretcher, and was taken to a hospital. In the third period, Joe Sakic padded Colorado's lead with his 9th goal of the season. Rob Blake scored a goal for Los Angeles, which brought them within two goals. Andrew Brunette scored an empty net goal with 50 seconds left in the game, securing the win for the Avalanche, who have now won three straight. Jose Theodore made 23 saves for the Avalanche.

Nashville Predators @ Dallas Stars
Nashville broke a scoreless tie less than a minute into the third period, when David Legwand scored his 15th goal of the season. Jordin Tootoo put the Predators ahead by two goals at 7:53. Dallas cut their deficit in half when Mike Ribeiro scored thirty seconds later, but J.P. Dumont would put Nashville back ahead by two goals 23 seconds after that. Nashville outshot Dallas 28-25. Dan Ellis earned his 17th win of the season, and the Predators now sit tied for the last playoff spot in the Western Conference.

San Jose Sharks @ St. Louis Blues
Joe Pavelski scored a power play goal 16:41 into the first period. Mike Grier scored his 8th goal of the season short-handed in the opening minute of the third period. San Jose outshot the Blues 34-24, and Brian Boucher, who had his first start of the season, earned his 14th shutout of his career.

Calgary Flames @ Phoenix Coyotes
Rhett Warrener put the Flames on the board first 1:23 into the game. Jarome Iginla scored a power play goal at 5:46 in the first to put Calgary ahead by two goals. Shane Doan cut Calgary's lead in half 12:02 into the second period, his 20th of the season. Iginla scored again 11:19 into the second period, which was his fortieth goal of the season, and his third point of the night. Calgary goaltender Curtis Joseph made 16 saves, earning his second win of the season in 3 decisions.

Wikinews Player of the Day
Today's Wikinews Player of the Day is Jarome Iginla of the Calgary Flames. Iginla scored two of Calgary's three goals, including the game winning goal in the first period, and assisted on the other. Iginla's second goal of the night was his 40th of the season, which gives him his third 40+ goal season of his career, his first since the 2003-04 season.

For information on the selection process of the Player of the Day, see this page.