Notes From a Night of Hockey - 11/24/06

That's right. I'm back, and so are my mildly amusing, possibly nauseating NHL recaps. Have fun with them.

Toronto 7 - Washington 1
There was much euphoria in Caps Land after the melee that was the final minute and a half of Wednesday night's game. Lost in all the excitement, however, was the fact that punches, while often fun to watch, are neither an effective nor a legal method of propelling the puck into the opposing team's net. Sticks, as Toronto so ably demonstrated, are still the go-to implements. Fear not though. As ably predicted by yours truly, the Maple Leafs will have trouble scoring goals all year.

NY Islanders 3 - Pittsburgh 1
Islanders owner Charles Wang is insane. This has nothing to do, as near as I can tell, with the outcome of tonights game, its just good to know. Because apparently crazy is good on Long Island, where the local hockey team is riding high, winning five of their last seven and even nearly selling out the decrepit Nassau Coliseum. Rick DiPietro, for one night at least, made him look slightly less crazy, however, justifying his absurd contract by nearly shutting out the Crosby-less Penguins.

Minnesota 4 - Phoenix 0
Congratulations to Wild goaltender Niklas Backstrom, who, in addition to having virtually the same name as Capitals 2006 first round pick Nicklas Backstrom, recorded his first career NHL shutout, an exciting accomplishment. In all fairness though, the Coyotes really suck.

Philadelphia 3 - Columbus 2
The Ken Hitchcock era has officially begun in Columbus, so if you have any friends who happen to be Blue Jackets fans, you should probably keep them away from things like rope and sharp objects for a little while. As the Flyers fan sitting next to me at Verizon Center so keenly understated, "We're not too good this year." They are, however, good enough to beat their former coach.

Other NHL Action
Carolina 5 - Boston 1
Anaheim 4 - New Jersey 2
Ottawa 6 - Florida 4
St. Louis 3 - Detroit 2 (SO)
Montreal 2 - Buffalo 1 (OT)
Tampa Bay 3 - Atlanta 2 (OT)
Dallas 5 - Los Angeles 3
Edmonton 5 - Chicago 1