Predators 6, Oilers 5: Edmonton and Nashville entered Tuesday's game separated by only one point in the standings. Thanks to the Predators 6-5 overtime win, the two teams are now tied with 68 points at the bottom of the Western Conference playoff picture.
Jason Arnott scored the game-winner in overtime, as the two teams combined for five goals in the third period. Nashville has now won 11 of its past 16 games, including four in a row.
It's been a rough stretch for the Minnesota Wild over the past two weeks, and it continued on Sunday as they dropped their fifth in a row -- and sixth in their past seven games -- as they fell to Anaheim, 4-2. During this current losing streak, Minnesota has scored only five goals, and is finding out that it's quite difficult to win every game 1-0.
After overcoming a 2-0 deficit thanks to a pair of goals by Marc-Andre Bergeron and Eric Belanger, the Wild allowed Brendan Morrison and Bobby Ryan to reclaim the lead for the Ducks. From that point on, J.S. Giguere shut the door for Anaheim, as he turned aside 26 shots in the win. The Ducks also received goals from Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf, as they won for the third time in their past four games.
Josh Harding received the start in goal for Minnesota, making 30 saves on 34 shots.
Welcome to the NHL FanHouse 2008-09 season preview. While other sites are previewing "30 teams in 30 days," we decided to take advantage of the extra time off before the start of the season to bring you all 30 previews over the next three weeks. We're counting down in reverse order of finish from last season in each conference every weekday from now until October 3. Look for an Eastern Conference preview every morning and a Western Conference preview every afternoon. Click here to read them all.
What's Changed: The change in Vancouver involves the loss of veterans Naslund and Linden. Those guys were mainstays of the franchise for many years, and it's not going to be the same without them. However, did the Canucks adequately address their goal-scoring problems? It was a major issue down the stretch as Vancouver collapsed, but it was largely lost in the talk of goaltender Roberto Luongo's own personal slump.
Is Demitra ready to help? On one hand, Jacques Lemaire has a reputation for sucking the life out of the offensive side of hockey. On the other, Demitra was in a contract year, spent much time playing on the same line as 40-goal scorer Marian Gaborik, and still could only produce 15 goals. Lemaire's system can be suffocating, yes, but he also gets a lot out of players who are pretty average.
(A good example of this is Marc Chouinard, who scored 14 goals in 72 games for Minnesota in 2005-2006. He signed in Vancouver, posted two goals in 42 games, and hasn't played in the NHL since.)
Which will it be for Demitra? Canuck fans hope Lemaire - and not Demitra - is to blame for his poor season last year.
As I grow older and more mature (stop snickering), I'm beginning to see the folly of a team, on Deadline Day, spending major assets for a playoff rental. Yes, D-Day is always hyped to the max, and gets fans drooling at the prospect of seeing their team get the likes of Marian Hossa, Peter Forsberg, or Mats Sundin to put their team over the top.
Think of building a house. A good house takes time to plan, and the foundation is laid early in the design choices one makes. You can't simply stick some Sears Aluminum siding on the outside of a stucco monstrosity and expect it to turn into a million-dollar mansion, can you?
Every day from Monday to Saturday, The Ice Sheet will take a look at the biggest stories in the league that happened on the ice and elsewhere the night before.
When Mark Recchi was waived by the Penguins, and then claimed by the Thrashers on re-entry waivers, the "Recchin Ball" vowed, Jean-Luc Picard style, that he would make the Penguins pay for what they've done. Being spurned is a great motivator, and Recchi wasn't about to go quietly into the night.
"They'll see," Recchi told the paper. "I didn't get 68 points for no reason last year. In the first seven or eight games [this season], I had a point a game until the coach decided to move me down two or three lines for whatever reason. I still haven't figured it out."
So far, so good for the old man as he had two goals in his debut game with the Thrashers last night, a 5-3 loss to the surging Boston Bruins. Recchi was pretty much the only one on the Thrashers who seemed to be very motivated for this match, and now the Thrashers have to wonder, "Can he keep this up?", while Penguins fans wonder, "Where the hell was THIS guy all season?".
There are reports of 1000s of Canucks fans checking into Vancouver area hospitals, suffering from anxiety and panic attacks after Dallas took Game Six by a 2-0 score.
This is feeling eerily similar to the 3-1 series lead the Canucks choked back to Minnesota before the lockout. It's kind of hard to win when YOU CAN'T FRICKIN' SCORE!
Just how pathetic is the Canucks offense right now?
The Swedish Twins, Daniel and Henrik Sedin, have not scored a point since Game One! Both have just two points in the series. Neither twin got a shot on goal in Game Six, which would also make it hard to score goals.
Markus Naslund, the Canucks well-compensated captain, has just a lone goal and an assist to his name. Six million bucks a season for this? Who is he, Alexei Yashin?
Brendan Morrison, once a great play-making producer, has just one lone assist. As Tony Gallagher wrote in today's Vancouver Province:"Since Game One, it appears Brendan Morrison's jersey has been filled by Alexander Semak, once described in a scouting report as 'a feeble little forward'."
The Power-less Play is now ZERO for it's last 23, and has just one goal in 28 attempts this series. For a team with this much talent, such a pathetic total is inexcusable. It's not just that the Canucks can't score, but they don't appear to be even the least bit dangerous with the man advantage. The Stars allow the Canucks to cycle on the outside, and basically wait for the Canucks to attempt one of their three predictable set plays.
Kevin Bieksa? 0 points in 6 games and 18 penalty minutes. Bieksa has spent more time in the penalty box and scowling at referees than producing any offensive chances. It's time for Vigneault to put Brent Sopel in the #1 PP slot and give Bieksa a break.
Suffice it to say, the Stars have all the momentum heading into Game Seven, and the Canucks just seem to have no confidence or drive when they have the puck. As good as Turco has been, the Canucks have been just as bad when trying to produce quality scoring chances.
Predators 6, Oilers 5: Edmonton and Nashville entered Tuesday's game separated by only one point in the standings. Thanks to the Predators 6-5 overtime win, the two teams are now tied with 68 points at the bottom of the Western Conference playoff picture. 
It's been a rough stretch for the Minnesota Wild over the past two weeks, and it continued on Sunday as they dropped their fifth in a row -- and sixth in their past seven games -- as they fell to Anaheim, 4-2. During this current losing streak, Minnesota has scored only five goals, and is finding out that it's quite difficult to win every game 1-0. 
As I grow older and more mature (stop snickering), I'm beginning to see the folly of a team, on Deadline Day, spending major assets for a playoff rental. Yes, D-Day is always hyped to the max, and gets fans drooling at the prospect of seeing their team get the likes of Marian Hossa, Peter Forsberg, or Mats Sundin to put their team over the top.
There are reports of 1000s of Canucks fans checking into Vancouver area hospitals, suffering from anxiety and panic attacks after Dallas took Game Six by a 2-0 score. 
