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NHL Board of Governors to vote on new realignment plan

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The National Hockey League’s Board of Governors will hold a fax vote this week to approve the new, four-conference realignment plan for the 2013-14 campaign.

The vote is expected to be completed by the end of the week.

The NHLPA announced last Thursday that the players’ union wants to go forward with the league’s realignment plan. NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr signed off on the plan and said it will be “re-evaluated following the 2014-15 season.”

The new structure includes two conferences and four divisions. The Eastern Conference will include the Central and Atlantic Division, while the Western Conference will feature the Pacific and Midwest.

Western Conference Eastern Conference
Pacific Mid-West Central Atlantic
Anaheim Chicago Boston Carolina
Calgary Colorado Buffalo Columbus
Edmonton Dallas Detroit New Jersey
Los Angeles Minnesota Florida NY Islanders
Phoenix Nashville Montreal NY Rangers
San Jose St. Louis Ottawa Philadelphia
Vancouver Winnipeg Tampa Bay Pittsburgh
- - Toronto Washington

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Jones, Hosmer lead US past Canada, move up in WBC (Yahoo! Sports)

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PHOENIX (AP) — Adam Jones doubled in the tying and go-ahead runs in the eighth inning, Eric Hosmer hit a three-run double in the ninth and the United States beat Canada 9-4 on Sunday to advance to the second round of the World Baseball Classic.

Down to their last several outs, the U.S. trailed 3-2 after seven innings before breaking loose. Team USA and Italy advanced in Group D while Canada and Mexico were eliminated.

Jones and Hosmer both had a rough week at the plate but came through with the United States on the brink of what would have been a humbling loss. Jones’ hit was his second in nine at-bats. Hosmer was 3 for 13.

Gold Glove second baseman Brandon Phillips contributed, too, making a diving stop to prevent Canada from tying it in the eighth.

Heath Bell pitched a scoreless seventh to get the victory for manager Joe Torre’s team. Jimmy Henderson took the loss.

Canada’s Michael Saunders, of the Seattle Mariners, hit a two-run homer off starter Derek Holland and was chosen the Group D MVP, going 8 for 11 in the tournament.

The United States finished group play tied with Italy at 2-1 but gets the No. 1 seed because of its 6-2 win over Italy. The U.S. meets the loser of Sunday’s Dominican Republic-Puerto Rico game Tuesday in Miami.

David Wright, whose grand slam lifted the U.S. past Italy Saturday night, doubled and walked three times. Ben Zobrist had three hits, none of which left the infield.

Canada, coming off a 10-3 win over Mexico that featured a bruising ninth-inning brawl, finished 1-2. The Canadians have not made it out of the first round for any of the three WBCs.

But they looked in great shape much of the afternoon against the United States, which was looking to avoid its worst showing ever in the tournament. The Americans made it to the second round in 2006 and the semifinals in 2009.

For the third straight game, the U.S. fell behind early.

Justin Morneau, who was 8 for 12 in the tournament for Canada, doubled to start the second, then Saunders hit Holland’s 1-0 pitch into the bullpen down the right field line to make it 2-0.

The U.S. tied it with two runs in the fourth, one unearned.

Joe Mauer led off with a single and Wright walked. Zobrist put down a near-perfect bunt for a base hit, with third baseman Taylor Green throwing wildly to first and allowing a run to score. Jones’ sacrifice fly to center brought in the tying run.

Green, playing third for Canada because Brett Lawrie was hurt just before the WBC began, also had an error in the second when he dropped Zobrist’s high pop fly ball in the bright sunlight.

Canada regained the lead at 3-2 in the sixth. Joey Votto drew a leadoff walk from reliever Glen Perkins, took second on Morneau’s single. Saunders struck out looking and Chris Robinson flied out, advancing the runner to third. Adam Loewen’s first-pitch single brought Votto home.

Mauer opened the eighth with a single, then Wright walked. Torre made an aggressive move when, with Willie Bloomquist pinch running for Mauer, he sent both runners moving on Henderson’s 1-2 pitch to Jones. Jones connected, bringing both runners home. Shane Victorino singled Jones home to make it 5-3.

Canada made it a one-run game in its half of the eighth but would have tied it had it not been for a spectacular defensive play by Phillips. His diving stop of Loewen’s bases-loaded grounder allowed one run to score, but kept the U.S. in the lead.

The U.S. broke it open off Scott Matheson and closer John Axford in the ninth.

Phillips started it with a double. Jonathan Lucroy had an RBI single, then Wright walked once again. Axford came on and allowed the infield single to Zobrist. Jones struck out but Hosmer, a late addition to the team when Matt Teixeira was injured, cleared the bases with a shot to deep center.

Torre benched Miami’s dynamic young slugger Giancarlo Stanton in favor of Victorino in left field. He also moved Ryan Braun to designated hitter and put Zobrist in right. Mauer, the DH in the first two games, was the catcher. Stanton was hitless in the first two games, although he did have a pair of deep fly balls in the opening loss to Mexico.

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Newcastle 2-1 Stoke

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BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE

St. James Park

Attendance: 50703

* Local time based on your geographic location.

Newcastle United

  • Yohan Cabaye 72′ •
  • Papiss Demba Cisse 90′ +2′ •

Stoke City

  • • Jonathan Walters 67′ PEN

Papiss Cisse pounced in stoppage time to earn all three points for Newcastle

Papiss Cisse dragged Newcastle nine points clear of the Premier League relegation zone with a dramatic injury-time winner to see off Stoke 2-1.

The Senegal international struck two minutes into stoppage time to complete a comeback after the Potters had threatened to snatch victory at St James’ Park.

Jonathan Walters had given the visitors the lead against the run of play from the penalty spot with 67 minutes gone, but Yohan Cabaye’s superb free-kick six minutes later set the stage for Cisse’s last-gasp winner.

The win was just what manager Alan Pardew had asked for to end a good week and while it was deserved on the balance of play in front of a crowd of 50,703, it looked like evading his side until the death.

Within minutes of the final whistle in Thursday night’s 0-0 Champions League draw with Anzhi Makhachkala in Moscow, Pardew immediately turned his attention to Stoke and the business of securing three points.

He knew his players would face a different challenge at St James’ Park to the one with which they had dealt on the artificial pitch at the Luzhniki Stadium, and just how different was confirmed when the Potters’ team-sheet arrived.

Opposite number Tony Pulis, to the surprise of no-one, had packed his starting XI with players noted as much for their brawn as for what they could do with the ball, to the extent that he named five men who were nominally defenders and three who would claim to be strikers among his 10 outfield players.

There was little subterfuge over the way he wanted his team to play and they duly obliged as the hoisted a series of long balls into the Newcastle penalty area and asked Peter Crouch, Walters and Cameron Jerome, reinforced by Ryan Shawcross, Geoff Cameron and Ryan Shotton for set-pieces, to compete for them.

However, with Steven Taylor and Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa up for the fight and keeper Rob Elliot accepting the responsibility to deal with his share of the aerial assault, the Magpies were largely untroubled during the opening 45 minutes.

Elliot had to field a third-minute volley by Crouch, after he had been allowed to control Shawcross’ long ball on his chest 25 yards out, and then pluck Shotton’s tame effort from underneath his crossbar nine minutes later.

But as the visitors’ early assault abated, Pardew’s men started to force their way into the game.

Initially, they failed to make the most of their possession as Cabaye floated a series of balls into the penalty area which were tailor-made for keeper Asmir Begovic and his defenders.

But as the half wore on, they adopted a more intelligent approach with Cabaye prompting, Moussa Sissoko driving at the heart of the Stoke rearguard and full-backs Mathieu Debuchy and Davide Santon getting forward well.

Cabaye sent a 16th-minute shot from distance across Begovic and just past the far post, and Jonas Gutierrez curled another effort similarly wide five minutes later.

Santon tested Begovic with a well-struck 33rd-minute drive after cutting inside Shotton, but the home side should really have been in front four minutes later.

Cabaye’s through-ball took a deflection and evaded Sissoko but it fell nicely for Yoan Gouffran, only for the Frenchman to lift his shot over the bar.

Cabaye saw a 42nd-minute strike deflected just wide with the keeper wrong-footed, but the black and white shirts had to close ranks seconds later as Glenn Whelan forced his way into the penalty area on a rare foray into enemy territory but could not find a finish.

Gutierrez saw a 56th-minute drive blocked out for a corner by Whelan, but the Magpies were struggling to penetrate a stubborn Stoke defence.

Their task grew in size with 23 minutes remaining when, after Cheick Tiote had felled Walters with a rash challenge inside the box, referee Andre Marriner had little option but to point to the spot and Walters, whose recent record from 12 yards has been dreadful, duly obliged to give the visitors a lead they scarcely deserved.

However, the lead lasted barely six minutes as the game became increasingly lively both on and off the pitch.

Sissoko was tripped by Whelan literally inches outside the box and after Mr Marriner awarded a free-kick, Begovic became embroiled in a row with Steven Taylor as the Stoke coaching staff took exception to Pardew’s reaction on the sideline.

But once order had been restored, Cabaye curled the resulting free-kick over the wall and in off the underside of the crossbar to level.

There was even better to come deep into injury time when substitute Sylvain Marveaux picked out Cisse in front of goal and he controlled and fired past the stranded Begovic to snatch victory.

  • Newcastle United
  • Stoke City
Yohan Cabaye (72′)
Papiss Demba Cisse (90 + 2′)
(pen 67′) Jonathan Walters
  • Newcastle United
  • Stoke City
16(4) Shots (on goal) 8(4)
10 Fouls 14
14 Corner kicks 4
1 Offsides 4
56% Time of Possession 44%
1 Yellow Cards 1
0 Red Cards 0
3 Saves 2

  • Newcastle United
  • Stoke City

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Cardinals’ Matheny will undergo back surgery

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Image dm_130304_mlb_cards_matheny_int.jpg

Updated: March 10, 2013, 11:51 AM ET

Associated Press

Matheny On Cards’ Season Outlook

Matheny On Cards’ Season Outlook

JUPITER, Fla. — Cardinals manager Mike Matheny planned to leave the team after Sunday’s spring training game and return to St. Louis for surgery to repair a ruptured disk in his lower back.

Matheny expects to be back at spring training for Thursday’s game against Atlanta in Jupiter.

“There is still a fragment that is stuck in a spot where it’s getting to the nerve and affecting what is going on back there,” Matheny said prior to Sunday’s game against the New York Mets.

The 42-year-old Matheny, who replaced Tony La Russa as manager after the 2011 season, said early in spring training that the injury probably traces back to his days as a big league catcher from 1994-06.

“They seem pretty confident this will take care of it,” he said of the surgeons.

The ruptured disk sends pain into his right leg, which became severe on Feb. 28 and caused him to skip the next day’s game against Houston at Kissimmee.

An epidural injection on March 4 failed to relieve the pain.

“We were hoping it would kind of settle down and go away, but it really hasn’t,” Matheny said.

The pain is at its worst when Matheny stands after sitting for any length. He decided to have the surgery now, before plane trips during the regular season.

“I hate that it’s been as big a deal as it’s been,” he said. “I’m anxious to get it over.”

Bench coach Mike Aldrete will manage the team in Matheny’s absence.


Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press

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Struggling Canucks head to Minnesota for Wild date

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(Sports Network) – The Vancouver Canucks will try to avoid their longest losing streak in over two years when they visit the Minnesota Wild in Sunday’s battle at Xcel Energy Center.

The Canucks have lost three straight games (0-1-2), matching their longest skid of this shortened season. Vancouver hasn’t gone four straight without a win in the regular season since an 0-1-3 funk from Jan. 16-22, 2011.

Vancouver suffered its two most recent setbacks after regulation and the club dropped a 2-1 overtime decision Thursday night at Columbus. Matt Calvert‘s goal with 57 seconds left in overtime lifted the Blue Jackets to the win at Nationwide Arena.

Henrik Sedin provided the lone goal for the Canucks, losers in five of their last six tilts. Cory Schneider stopped 25 of the 27 shots he saw in the setback.

“There were some chances (to score) at the end there, maybe they may not have been the quality looks you need in this league,” Canucks head coach Alain Vigneault said. “We need to do a better job getting the goaltender’s eyes away so he doesn’t see the puck. We had some shots and we had a few opportunities, but maybe not the quality we needed to score.”

The Canucks have scored five goals during its three-game slide and Vancouver is 0-for-8 on the power play over that span.

Vancouver has played the last three games without defenseman Kevin Bieksa, who is questionable for Sunday with a groin injury. Bieksa leads all Canucks’ defenseman with five goals this season and is third on the team in ice time.

The Canucks are 5-3-3 on the road this season and are playing the middle portion of a three-game swing on Sunday. Vancouver will close the trip Tuesday with another game in Columbus.

Minnesota won for the second time in three games Saturday, beating the Nashville Predators in a shootout at Bridgestone Arena.

Matt Cullen posted the winner in the final round of the shootout, lifting the Wild to a 2-1 road win. Cullen began the third round with a successful wrister after using several quick stick moves to fool Pekka Rinne, and the Wild escaped with a victory after David Legwand rang his backhander off the right post.

“We need all the points we can get right now and this extra one is big,” said Cullen. “At the end of the season these shootout points will mean the difference between making or not making the playoffs.”

Zach Parise scored in regulation and Niklas Backstrom made 24 saves for the Wild, winners in four of their last six games.

Minnesota enters Sunday in ninth place in the West, but the Wild are just one point behind San Jose and Phoenix for the conference’s last two playoff spots. The Coyotes are idle on Sunday, while the Sharks play in Colorado.

The Canucks are 2-0 against Minnesota this season, winning regulation games in Vancouver and St. Paul. Vancouver has claimed five of six and nine of the past 11 encounters in this series overall and the Wild have dropped two of three on home ice.

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Report: Boldin rejects Ravens’ proposal

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Updated: March 9, 2013, 3:44 PM ET

ESPN.com news services

Ravens wide receiver Anquan Boldin has rejected a proposal from the team to cut his salary, and he is prepared to test free agency if Baltimore releases him, USA Today Sports is reporting.

More on ESPN.com

Jamison Hensley believes the Ravens are wrong to play hardball with veteran Anquan Boldin, who was a key member in the club’s run to the Super Bowl. Blog

• AFC North blog

USA Today, citing a person with knowledge of the negotiations, said talks between Boldin and the Ravens are ongoing.

“Once he’s decided, you might as well try to move the Rock of Gibraltar,” the source told USA Today. “I know that he’s hoping to stay with them, but he’s willing to go someplace else.”

Boldin was not immediately available for comment, according to USA Today.

Fox Sports initially reported Saturday that Baltimore gave Boldin an ultimatum: Take a pay cut or get cut on Tuesday. The Ravens are looking to reduce his $7.5 million salary-cap number to increase their chances of re-signing free-agent linebacker Dannell Ellerbe and safety Ed Reed.

Boldin, who played a big part in Baltimore’s Super Bowl-winning season, is scheduled to earn $6 million in 2013.

The Ravens were expected to keep Boldin after the team didn’t have to use the franchise tag on quarterback Joe Flacco, who signed a six-year, $120.6 million deal.

In the playoffs, Boldin caught 22 passes for 380 yards receiving (95 yards per game) and four touchdowns. He has led Baltimore in receiving yards in each of the past three seasons since being traded from Arizona.

Boldin, 32, said last month that he would retire if he was cut by the Ravens. Since the Ravens won the Super Bowl, linebacker Ray Lewis and center Matt Birk have retired and Baltimore has released guard Bobbie Williams.

Information from ESPN.com’s Jamison Hensley was used in this report.

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Heat win 17th straight, top 76ers 102-93 (Yahoo! Sports)

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MIAMI (AP) — LeBron James scored 25 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, Dwyane Wade added 22 points and the Miami Heat won again, pulling away late to beat the Philadelphia 76ers 102-93 on Friday night for their 17th straight victory.

Chris Bosh scored 16 points, Ray Allen added 12 and Shane Battier scored 11 for the Heat, who matched the 12th-longest winning streak in NBA history and became the first team in the league to clinch a playoff spot this season.

Down by nine in the third quarter, the Heat took a 76-75 lead when James beat the buzzer to end the period with a 3-pointer, then took control with what became a 17-4 run over a 5-minute stretch of the fourth.

Thaddeus Young scored 25 points, Dorell Wright added 14 and Spencer Hawes finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds for the 76ers, who lost their 12th straight on the road and 13th straight regular-season game against Miami. Jrue Holiday added a game-high 13 assists for Philadelphia.

Still, with 12 minutes to go, this one was far from over.

Philadelphia gave the Heat all they wanted for the first three quarters, taking a quick 18-11 lead, then making its first five attempts from 3-point range in the second quarter, and finally going on a spurt in the third that had Miami facing a 60-51 deficit at one point.

Much as they did in the first 16 of these wins, the Heat – now winners of 13 straight at home, heading into Sunday’s playoff rematch in Miami against Indiana – found a way.

Miami had 10 assists on 12 field goals in the third quarter and took a second-half lead for the first time on a brilliant move by Bosh – who spun to his right, got fouled by Hawes and scored with his left hand anyway, all while being off-balance. His free throw put the Heat up 65-64.

Wright, whose career started in Miami, hit a 3-pointer to put Philadelphia back up 71-67, before the Heat closed the third with a trio of 3-pointers from Mario Chalmers, Battier and then James, whose buzzer-beater came seconds after he was hit in the throat area by Philadelphia’s Damien Wilkins.

James shook off the hit, made the 3, then took a brief look at the Philadelphia bench for emphasis.

He was fired up, and the mood permeated everyone on the Miami side in the fourth, when the Heat pulled away.

Miami had some big moments in the early going, including one possession where James had three offensive rebounds – two off his own misses – before scoring, and another when Chris Andersen blocked shots by Evan Turner in succession to set up a possession where James got an alley-oop dunk.

But Philadelphia didn’t go away, fueled by the second-quarter 3-point barrage, and nine points by Wright in just 4:28 of the third quarter.

The fourth, however, was all Miami, even with James on the bench for the final minutes.

NOTES: Miami clinched a playoff spot with 22 games remaining, five games faster than any other team in Heat history. … It was the 450th Heat home game, including playoffs, since Wade was drafted in 2003. Miami has won 315 of those games, exactly 70 percent. … Hawes was 4 for 5 in the first half, then 0 for 5 in the third quarter. … The 76ers won three road games in a four-day span of November. They’re 3-21 away from home since. … It was Miami’s 105th straight home sellout, the franchise’s second-longest streak. … Wade has at least one steal in 21 straight games, matching the longest such streak of his career. … Battier has made a 3-pointer in 18 straight games. … James became the 70th NBA player with 1,000 3-pointers made.

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NHL suspends Islanders assistant coach Thompson for 2 games for abuse of officials

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NEW YORK, N.Y. – Islanders assistant coach Brent Thompson was given a two-game suspension by the NHL on Friday for abusive comments he made following New York’s overtime loss to the New York Rangers on Thursday night.

Thompson was assessed a game misconduct after the Rangers beat the Islanders with a power-play goal by Marian Gaborik.

The NHL said in a statement that Thompson will miss the next two games because of “inappropriate and abusive comments” he directed at on-ice officials.

The Rangers received the only three power plays in the game and converted on the last one seconds after a penalty was called when defenceman Michael Del Zotto was hauled down as he drove to the net.

Thompson will miss a home game against Washington on Saturday and a game at Pittsburgh on Sunday.

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For NHL, Blackhawks’ streak couldn’t be better timed

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Jonathan Toews of Chicago Blackhawks

More eyes are on the NHL now, thanks to Jonathan Toews and the streaking Blackhawks. (Robin Alam/Icon SMI)

By Allan Muir

Say this about the Chicago Blackhawks and their record-smashing streak: they couldn’t have timed it any better.

Coming on the heels of a bitter labor war that turned the NHL into a punchline and almost wiped out the season, this remarkable stretch has been an ongoing public relations gift to the league. It’s sort of like a Russian matryoshka doll, except that each win opens up to reveal the potential for an even bigger win.

The Hawks have brought playoff-caliber hockey to February and March, with every game offering the sweaty-palmed, remote-throwing, superstition-observing, exhilarating experience of postseason play. We haven’t seen anything like it during a regular season in more than 30 years and it’s been absolutely fantastic.

Just like the budding rivalry between rookie sensations Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin that unfolded after the previous lockout wiped out the 2004-05 season, this drama was exactly what the league needed to rebuild its image.

But the NHL wouldn’t be getting half the bang if not for the NBA’s Miami Heat.

It sucks to write that. There’s nothing hockey fans hate more than dealing with the second-tier status of our game on the American sporting scene. Especially in a situation like this.

What the Hawks have accomplished on this run beggars comprehension. They’ve gone 24 games, fully half of this abbreviated season, without a regulation or overtime loss. Corey Crawford, the man who was almost single-handedly responsible for Chicago’s first-round playoff ouster last spring, has transformed himself into an elite stopper and a viable Olympic candidate. Thirteen different players, including fourth-line agitator Dan Carcillo, have scored game-winning goals. The Hawks have trailed just four times heading into the third period and have won three of those games in regulation. They lead the league in goals-against, takeaways, and thrills generated.

Truly remarkable stuff. And certainly worthy of national attention.

But as easy as it is for us recognize the weight of those achievements, it’s only the context provided by the Heat and their own 16-game winning streak that has allowed the Blackhawks story to move to the top of the national sportscasts and into mainstream discussion.

Say what you want about Stephen A. Smith’s condescending remarks, but they got people talking about the Hawks. The Dan Patrick Show spent time comparing and contrasting the two streaks. ESPN’s SportCenter has done the same.

Wayne Gretzky went on the radio and offered to debate Michael Jordan over which run was more impressive.

“People are saying, ‘Okay, who is the better team right now and who has the hottest streak? The Heat or the Chicago Blackhawks?’” Gretzky said on the Waddle and Silvy Show. “That only enhances our sport and makes it bigger and better.”

Even Heat star LeBron James has helped the cause with tweets (“Hey Chicago Blackhawks U guys are AWESOME”) and interviews in which he declares his admiration for what the team has accomplished.

“Their [streak] is more impressive than ours,” James told WGN yesterday. “They’re doing theirs without a training camp. They just had to go out there and do it.”

That kind of praise puts the Hawks’ streak into perspective for a larger audience. The importance of that can’t be overstated.

“That shows they’re getting some recognition around the sports world when you have King James talking about them,” Bruins winger Milan Lucic told The Toronto Sun.

Of course, the irascible Brian Burke has a different take. He doesn’t see the value in comparing the two.

“This is like looking up and seeing two Halley’s Comets,” he told USA Today. “It annoys me that people have to turn this into a debate about which streak is better. Just enjoy, because you are seeing something you won’t see again.”

Fair point, but Burke’s missing the bigger picture. It doesn’t matter which streak is better. For a sport that can only benefit from more attention, it’s the debate itself that makes this a win.

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Stamkos, Crosby poised to set 48-game marks

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Image 8471707.jpg

The first half of the 2012-13 has flown by. It’s been a fantastic one for the Chicago Blackhawks, who have yet to lose in regulation, as well as for the Anaheim Ducks and Montreal Canadiens, who are leading their divisions at the midway point after missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season. Some teams from whom much was expected, such as Philadelphia and Washington, are trying to dig out after poor first halves.

The race for the 16 playoff spots figures to be tighter than ever — no team enters the weekend more than seven points out of a postseason berth.

Here’s a look at some of the key first-half numbers:

0 – Shootouts involving the Carolina Hurricanes and Boston Bruins, the only two teams that have yet to take part in a tiebreaker. At the other end of the spectrum, both the San Jose Sharks and Anaheim Ducks have had seven games decided in shootouts; both are 4-3.

1 – Games that were scoreless after 65 minutes. Phoenix beat San Jose 1-0 in a shootout on Feb. 9 in the 29th scoreless game to go to the tiebreaker since the adoption of the shootout.

2 – Overtime goals by Marian Gaborik of the Rangers and Marian Hossa of the Blackhawks. They’re the only players who’ve scored more than once in OT. In all, 40 games have been decided in the five-minute extra period.

3 – Hat tricks by members of the Anaheim Ducks, the most by any team so far this season. No other team has more than two of the 18 three-goal games this season.

4 – Teams that have not lost a point when leading after two periods. Carolina and Pittsburgh have the best perfect record at 9-0-0; the Hurricanes are also the only unbeaten team when leading after one period (4-0-0).

5 – Players tied for the plus-minus lead at plus-17. That group includes Carolina captain Eric Staal, who has made a 180-degree turnaround from his minus-20 rating last season.

6 – Points in the second quarter by Buffalo’s Thomas Vanek, a huge drop from the 23 he put up in the season’s first quarter. He’s dropped from first in the points race at the quarter mark to a tie for fifth.

James Neal

Left Wing – PIT

GOALS: 15 | ASST: 8 | PTS: 23
SOG: 81 | PPG: 8

7 – Goals allowed by the Boston Bruins‘ penalty-killers, the fewest in the League. Boston is tops with a 91.9 percentage, and its PK unit has chipped in with three shorthanded goals as well.

8 – Power-play goals by the Colorado Avalanche, the fewest in the NHL. Colorado has scored as many power-play goals as Pittsburgh’s James Neal, who’s tops among all players with eight.

.871 – Save percentage by St. Louis’ three goaltenders, the poorest in the NHL. The Blues have allowed 69 non-shootout goals despite permitting a League-low 23.3 shots per game.

10 – Games this season in which Islanders center John Tavares has not recorded a point. The Isles are 1-7-2 in those games; they are 9-4-1 when Tavares hits the scoresheet.

11 – Consecutive victories for the Blackhawks entering this weekend. It’s the longest winning streak of any team this season — and the longest in the history of the franchise, which began play in the NHL in 1926.

12 – Points for Edmonton’s Nail Yakupov, the first player taken in last year’s NHL Draft. Yakupov has six goals and six assists. His 12 points matches his plus-minus rating, kind of — he’s minus-12.

13 – Combined goals in Pittsburgh’s 7-6 overtime victory at Montreal on March 2. It’s the most goals by two teams in a game this season. No other game has had more than 11.

18 – League-leading goal total for Tampa Bay’s Steven Stamkos, who was tops in the NHL last season with 60. He’s on a pace for 36 goals in this season’s 48-game schedule, two more than Peter Bondra, the leader in 1994-95, the last 48-game season.

19 – Penalty shots called so far this season. Only five have been successful — and two of those belong to Florida rookie Jonathan Huberdeau, the only player to be awarded more than one opportunity.

Cory Conacher

Center – TBL

GOALS: 7 | ASST: 13 | PTS: 20
SOG: 39 | +/-: -1

20 – Points by Tampa Bay’s Cory Conacher, the most by any rookie this season. Last season’s American Hockey League MVP has seven goals and 13 assists in his first NHL season. Huberdeau is second with 16 points and tops in goals with 11.

24 – Games without a regulation loss by the Blackhawks. Chicago’s 21-0-3 start marks the longest season-opening streak of getting at least one point. Counting its 3-0-3 season-ending streak in 2011-12, Chicago has points in 30 consecutive regular-season games, five short of the NHL record set by Philadelphia in 1979-80.

25 – Percent of games this season that have gone past regulation. Over a full season, it would be the highest percentage since the adoption of the shootout for the 2005-06 season. There have been 47 shootouts and 40 games decided in overtime.

30 – Shooting percentage of Boston’s Brad Marchand, the best of any player with an average of more than one shot per game. Marchand has 12 goals on just 40 shots.

39 – Points for NHL scoring leader Sidney Crosby of the Penguins after 24 games. Crosby’s pace would give him 78 points in the 48-game season — eight more than League-leaders Jaromir Jagr and Eric Lindros had in 1994-95, the last time the season was 48 games.

Brandon Prust

Left Wing – MTL

GOALS: 4 | ASST: 5 | PIM: 81
SOG: 27 | +/-: 13

56 – Shots on goal by the Oilers against Colorado on Feb. 16, the most by one team in any game this season and the only time a team has had 50 or more shots in a game. The Oilers trailed 3-0 and 4-1 but kept firing away and rallied to beat the Avalanche 6-4.

81 – Penalty minutes for Montreal’s Brandon Prust, the NHL leader. However, Prust does more than pile up penalty minutes — he has four goals, nine points and is plus-13, the best plus-minus rating of any player with 40 or more PIM.

116 – Hits credited to Islanders forward Matt Martin, the League leader at the midway point of the season. Martin, who set an NHL record for hits last season, has six more than runner-up Steve Ott of Buffalo.

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