National Hockey League news: March 27, 2008

March 27, 2008

There were 4 games played in the National Hockey League on March 26, 2008.

Chicago Blackhawks @ Columbus Blue Jackets
Joakim Lindstrom scored first for the Blue Jackets, breaking a scoreless tie 4:49 into the second period on a power play. In the third period, Clay Wilson scored his first career NHL goal 7:13 into the period. David Vyborny scored just over a minute later, then Michael Peca gave Columbus a 4 goal lead over Chicago with about 8 minutes remaining. Fredrik Norrena made 17 saves and earned his second shutout of the season. Wilson also scored his first NHL career assist, when he helped on Lindstrom's goal in the second.

Edmonton Oilers @ Minnesota Wild
Branko Radivojevic scored first for the Wild 3:01 into the game. Sean Hill scored his second of the season, and his second in consecutive games, on a Minnesota power play a few minutes later. Over halfway through the second period, Brian Rolston scored a short handed goal. Fernando Pisani put the Oilers on the board 4:40 into the third. Niklas Backstrom made 32 saves on 33 shots, earning his thirtieth win of the season. Mikko Koivu assisted on all three Minnesota goals.

Vancouver Canucks @ Colorado Avalanche
Jordan Leopold's power play goal 5:10 into the first period put the Avalanche on the board. Daniel Sedin scored at 9:59 to tie the score for the Canucks. Vancouver took the lead before the first intermission after Taylor Pyatt scored his 16th goal of the season. Colorado would score four goals in a 6:37 span of the second period. Paul Stastny, Cody McLeod, Milan Hejduk, and Ben Guite each scored, which meant the end of the night for Vancouver goalie Roberto Luongo. Sami Salo would score with 10 second left in the second period, but Colorado opened the third period with Hejduk's second goal of the night. Jose Theodore made 28 saves and earned his 25th win of the season. Peter Forsberg, Stastny, and Hejduk each had three point nights for Colorado.

Los Angeles Kings @ Anaheim Ducks
Patrick O'Sullivan scored to give the Kings the lead 9:29 into the first period. Bobby Ryan tied the score 12:25 into the second period. The score remained tied through the rest of regulation, thanks to the goaltenders on each end of the rink, which meant this game required overtime. In the shootout, Dustin Brown scored for LA in round 2, but Teemu Selanne tied the shootout in round three. Mathieu Schneider had the decisive shootout goal in the 6th round, which gave the Ducks the win, which clinches a playoff spot for Anaheim, and also gives them their 10th consecutive home win.

Player of the Day
Today's Player of the Day is Milan Hejduk of the Colorado Avalanche. Hejduk scored a pair of goals and also earned an assist. He scored the game winning goal 10:29 into the second period, the third goal in Colorado's 4-goal flurry.

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