Nightly Scrap: Miller returns, Sabres finally win at home
The return of Ryan Miller was enough to push the Buffalo Sabres to another win and their first on home ice this season. Considering the team sent interim starting goalie Jhonas Enroth back down to the Portland Pirates of the AHL, Lindy Ruff and company must have faith that Miller can stick and is back to full strength.
Thomas Vanek scored two goals against Braden Holtby and the Caps including the go-ahead goal in the second period and the overtime winner. The former 43 goal scorer has struggled with consistency throughout his career as he only put in 28 last season. With his two goals last night he is currently on pace for roughly 27. Jordan Leopold also added three assists in the victory, putting him two behind Derek Roy for the team lead.
Over in Atlanta it seems like Marc-Andre Fleury gained even more confidence against the Thrashers. The Flower turned aside 31 of 33 while coach Dan Blysma received the level of play he wanted from his star players with Evgeni Malkin finishing with a hat trick and four points and Sidney Crosby putting up three points of his own. Surprisingly those two were the only Pittsburgh Penguins with multiple points in their 4-2 victory.
The Montreal Canadiens and Carey Price just continue to cruise, this time defeating the Carolina Hurricanes 7-2. For the Canes this loss marks the second where Cam Ward has been chased, allowing four goals in both games and lasting less than two periods. Meanwhile the Habs top line of Michael Cammalleri, Brian Gionta and Tomas Plekanec connected for eight points in the route as the team has now won three straight and seven of their last 10.
Speaking of hot teams the Philadelphia Flyers topped the Florida Panthers with a 5-2, giving them their second straight win. Over their last 10, the Flyers have only allowed one regulation loss and have put rookie Sergei Bobrovsky in for every one of those games. Last night was no exception as captain Mike Richards and the recently re-signed Claude Giroux both scored two goals as this game was over midway through the first period.
In Boston, Tim Thomas was finally delivered his first regulation loss losing 2-0 to the Ottawa Senators. Surprisingly it comes from a goalie who has been even hotter than him: Brian Elliott. Daniel Alfredsson and Erik Karlsson scored for the Sens as Elliott continues to show that he can win games in bunches.
The Detroit Red Wings won again, this time defeating the rival Colorado Avalanche. Todd Bertuzzi scored a powerplay goal, Jiri Hudler put in his first of the year and Dan Cleary remains hot for the veteran team. Jimmy Howard also earned his ninth win of the season.
Due to time constraints we are cutting Nightly Scrap a bit short. In Toronto, the Vancouver Canucks delivered the Maple Leafs their eighth straight win… The Phoenix Coyotes won their third straight thanks to a hat trick from Ray Whitney; their second hat trick in two games. The St. Louis Blues continue to struggle without TJ Oshie and David Perron, dropping their third in a row… Antti Niemi won his first game after dropping four consecutive starts; the San Jose Sharks won 4-3 over the spiraling Calgary Flames… The New York Islanders have now dropped their 10th straight game.
That just about wraps up a full night of hockey. Be sure to check us all day as we bring you the most relevant fantasy hockey news possible. You can follow us on twitter @dailyfaceoff as we continue to bring you information on starting goalies, team lineups and major injury updates as well as provide in-depth injury updates and player rankings in the future.