Newsmakers in the NHL: Blake Wheeler Scores 2, Bruins Win Again

Of all the big offseason moves over the summer, Boston's signing of Blake Wheeler is looking to be like quite a steal. Wheeler, if you'll recall, was a former first-round pick of the Phoenix Coyotes (fifth overall) and, well, it didn't exactly work out as he never signed with Phoenix, instead electing to become a free agent this summer. In early July, he inked a deal with the Bruins, made the roster out of camp, and thus far has been quite a contributor to the best team in the Eastern Conference.

The 22-year old forward scored a pair of goals in Sunday's 6-3 win in St. Louis, both of which came in the games first five minutes. Through Boston's first 32 games, the rookie has 11 goals and nine assists, placing him fifth among NHL rookies in points, five behind Columbus' Derick Brassard, who, by the way, could miss the remainder of the season due to a shoulder injury.

Anyway, back to the Bruins, they've now won five in a row, and 10 of their past 11, while scoring a boatload of goals in the process. During their current five-game winning streak, for example, the Bruins have lit the lamp 29 times. Granted, those games have been against Atlanta (twice) , Toronto and St. Louis, but, hey, 29 goals in five games is still 29 goals in five games.

Along with Wheeler, Boston also received goals from Shane Hnidy, Marc Savard, Vladimir Sobotka and Michael Ryder, while Phil Kessel and David Krejci combined for five assists. In case you missed it, Wheeler's second score has to be considered a candidate for goal of the year:



The Rest of the Action

... So, when Martin Brodeur went down early in the season, did anybody expect New Jersey to be 19-9-3 at this point? No? Neither did I, yet, here we are. The Devils picked up a 3-2 shootout win on Sunday, as Scott Clemmensen stopped 27-of-29 shots in regulation and overtime, and 4-of-5 in the shootout. Travis Zajac scored the game-winner in the shootout, while Patrick Elias and Brian Rolston scored in regulation for the Devils. Jeff Carter scored his league-leading 25th goal of the season for Philadelphia, while Joffrey Lupul scored with five minutes to play in regulation, forcing overtime.

... Tomas Vokoun led the Panthers to a 3-0 win over Colorado on Sunday, making 23 saves in the win. The Panthers received goals from Richard Zednik, Brett McLean and Bryan McCabe, as Vokoun posted his second shutout of the season. After a rough start, the Florida goalie has turned aside 93-of-97 shots in his past three starts.

... Tuomo Ruutu scored his 11th goal of the season 1:43 into overtime, leading the Carolina Hurricanes to a 3-2 win in Montreal. The Hurricanes also picked up goals from Eric Staal and Sergei Samsonov, while Robert Lang and Matt D'Agostini tallied goals for Montreal.