The NHL All-Star break continues, with commissioner Gary Bettman threatening to suspend any player who doesn’t show up for the event in Montreal. Niklas Lidstrom and Pavel Datsyuk may yet change their minds, or face the prospect of missing a regular season game as a result.
In the mean time, Larry Brooks makes the case that Blair Betts and Fredrik Sjostrom are the best penalty killing tandem since Walt Tkazcuk and Bill Fairbairn skated for the Rangers in the 70s. The Rangers boast a league leading 87.6% kill rate when a man down this season, the best in franchise history.
The Wolf Pack fell 3-2 to the Lowell Devils, with Michael Sauer scoring his second of the season, and Tom Pyatt scoring the other Pack goal. Matt Zaba stopped 31 of 34 shots faced.
The Checkers came back from a 5-3 third period deficit to post a 6-5 OT win, but neither Ryan Hillier nor Michael Busto featured on the score sheet. Tomas Zaborsky and the Dayton Bombers lost 7-1, Zaborsky did not register a point on the lone Dayton goal.
Down in the OHL Mitch Gaulton made his season debut after missing most of this and last season with an elbow injury and the follow-up surgery. Gaulton was a -1 in the game.
Michael Del Zotto will play in the OHL All-Star Classic to be held in Windsor, ON during the weekend of February 3rd-4th. Del Zotto was recently traded to the London Knights, but has continued to have a strong season.
In the NCAA, Carl Hagelin picked up a goal and an assist to help power the Wolverines past the Spartans 6-2. Hagelin had scored just once in his past ten games. Max Campbell had two assists and the lone shootout goal for the Broncos, but the team fell in the shootout.
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