National Hockey League news: March 9, 2008

March 9, 2008

There were 9 games played in the National Hockey League on March 8, 2008.

Washington Capitals @ Boston Bruins
Brooks Laich scored the first goal of the game 6:17 into the first period, giving the Capitals a one goal lead they would hold until the third period. In the third, Washington got into penalty trouble, and gave up two goals on two power plays. First, Zdeno Chara scored on a 5-on-3 to tie the score, then Marco Sturm scored the go ahead goal a few minutes later. David Krejci and Marc Savard each assisted on both Boston goals. Alexander Ovechkin assisted in Washington's only goal. Alex Auld made 23 saves for the Bruins. Cristobal Huet made 26 saves for Washington.

Dallas Stars @ Colorado Avalanche
Antti Miettinen's power play goal 8:56 into the first period gave Dallas their only lead of the game. Colorado scored three unanswered goals in the third period. Scott Hannan tied the score 7:30 into the third. Andrew Brunette had a power play goal at 10:12. Paul Stastny scored an empty net goal with 3 seconds left. Peter Forsberg assisted on Hannan's and Brunette's goals. Stastny and Brunette each had 2 point nights for Colorado. Jose Theodore made 25 saves for Colorado. Marty Turco made 25 saves as well for Dallas. Colorado is now tied with Calgary and Minnesota in the Northwest division race with 80 points.

Montreal Canadiens @ Los Angeles Kings
Patrice Brisebois broke a scoreless tie 5:09 into the second period. Saku Koivu scored a power play goal a couple minutes later, giving Montreal a two goal lead. Guillaume Latendresse scored for the Canadiens 12:43 into the second period. Los Angeles went on the board before the second period was over, when Rob Blake scored a power play goal, making it a two goal game. In the third period, Andrei Kostitsyn scored to put Montreal back ahead by 3. Anze Kopitar scored for Los Angeles a few minutes later. Tom Kostopoulos scored an empty net goal with 2:53 left in regulation, securing the Canadiens' second straight win. Jaroslav Halak made 35 saves for Montreal.

Ottawa Senators @ Phoenix Coyotes
Mike Fisher scored a short handed goal 10:49 into the first, giving the Senators the first lead of the game. Craig Weller and Peter Mueller each scored less than 2 minutes apart for Phoenix, giving them their first lead of the game. Ottawa tied the game before the second period was over, when Fisher scored his second of the night on a power play. Dany Heatley scored early in the third period on a power play, retaking the lead for Ottawa. Antoine Vermette put the Senators ahead by two halfway through the third period. The Senators snap a 3 game winless streak. Martin Gerber made 33 saves for Ottawa. Ilja Bryzgalov made 28 saves for the Coyotes.

New Jersey Devils @ Toronto Maple Leafs
Zach Parise scored first for the Devils, 11:19 into the first period. Toronto's captain Mats Sundin tied the score 13:44 into the third period, but Parise scored his second of the night with 49 seconds left in regulation, giving the Devils their third straight victory. Martin Brodeur made 42 saves for New Jersey. Vesa Toskala stopped all but 2 of the Devils' 31 shots.

New York Islanders @ Philadelphia Flyers
Daniel Brière scored the first goal for Philadelphia on a power play, breaking the scoreless tie 2:48 into the second period. About 10 minutes later, Jeff Carter scored his own power play goal to put the Flyers up by 2. Scott Hartnell scored a power play goal 7:22 into the third period. The Islanders went on the board just a few seconds later, when Freddy Meyer scored his third goal of the season. Hartnell scored his second power play goal of the night with under 7 minutes remaining in regulation. The Flyers pick up their second straight victory, and the Islanders take their second loss in 2 games. Martin Biron made 32 saves for the Flyers. Rick Dipietro allowed 4 goals on 27 shots for the Islanders.

Buffalo Sabres @ Carolina Hurricanes
Keith Aucoin scored first for the Hurricanes at 16:35 into the first period. That was closely followed by a goal by Tim Gleason, which gave the Hurricanes a two goal lead going into the first intermission. Buffalo went on the scoreboard when Derek Roy scored an unassisted goal 7:46 into the second period. Just over a minute later, Sergei Samsonov put Carolina back up by 2 goals. Paul Gaustad made it a 1 goal game with less than 2 minutes left in the second period. Buffalo tied the score with Toni Lydman's goal halfway through the third, forcing overtime. Scott Walker scored 2:50 into the 4-on-4 overtime, giving Carolina their 4th straight win. Buffalo has lost their second in 2 games. Cam Ward made 27 saves for the Hurricanes. Ryan Miller allowed 4 goals on 35 shots for the Sabres.

Atlanta Thrashers @ Florida Panthers
Bryan Little scored on Atlanta's first power play 2:12 into the first period. Ilya Kovalchuk also scored at 16:53 in the first period, putting the Thrashers ahead by 2. Brett McLean scored a pair of power play goals for Florida, first with 1:28 left in the first period, then 8:40 into the second. The score remained tied until overtime, where Nathan Horton scored a power play goal with 23 seconds left in OT, giving Florida their fourth straight win. Atlanta has lost 9 of their last 10 games. Kari Lehtonen allowed 3 goals on 43 shots for Atlanta. Tomas Vokoun made 25 saves, earning his 26th win of the season.

St. Louis Blues @ Vancouver Canucks
Mattias Ohlund scored first for the Canucks, a power play goal coming at 6:30 in the first. A pair of goals by Brad Boyes put St. Louis in the lead in the second period. Alex Burrows tied the score with less than 5 minutes left in the second period. Brad Isbister put the Canucks ahead by a goal 15:48 into the third period. Henrik Sedin scored an empty net goal with 5 seconds left, giving Vancouver their second win in a row. St. Louis lost their second straight, and their 8th in their last 9 games. Roberto Luongo made 23 saves for the Canucks. Manny Legace allowed three goals on 28 shots for the Blues. Burrows, Ryan Kesler, and Taylor Pyatt each had a pair of points for Vancouver. Barret Jackman assisted on both Boyes goals for St. Louis.

Player of the Day
Today's Player of the Day is Mike Fisher of the Ottawa Senators. Fisher scored two goals, the first a short handed goal, and the second a power play goal, in Ottawa's 4-2 win against the Phoenix Coyotes. Fisher led his team in shots on goal and blocked shots for the game, and also had two hits and a takeaway.

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