Columbus goalie Steve Mason was perfect for 59 minutes on Friday night in his quest for his seventh shutout of the season. It was that one minute that proved to be the difference, as Travis Zajac and John Madden scored two quick goals to help lead the Devils to a 2-1 win. Madden's goal, which proved to be the game-winner, came with some controversy as it needed a review from the infamous war room in Toronto. Mason appeared to have the puck covered long enough for a whistle, only to have Madden continue to dig and push the puck in as the net was dislodged. The call on the ice from referee Don Koharski was that it was a goal, and officials in Toronto apparently agreed, much to the chagrin of the fans in Columbus. Naturally, both teams had their own perspective on the events.
First, Devils coach Brent Sutter:
"The call was the call on the ice," New Jersey coach Brent Sutter said. "He called it a goal because he felt that we weren't the team that pushed the net off. And the replay showed that. The puck was on its way into the net and their defenseman knocked the net off. That's clearly a goal. It went our way -- but it was the right way."And now Blue Jackets head coach Ken Hitchcock:
"Yes. The net was off and Methot was pushed in by (New Jersey's Jamie) Langenbrunner," Hitchcock said. "The net was off, but it's the referee's call and he called it a goal. It's a little bit disappointing. We haven't caught a break on one of these yet this year."Penguins 3, Ducks 1: Great third period of hockey in Pittsburgh, which is kind of surprising when you consider the lineup the Penguins hit the ice with looked like it should have been suiting up in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Matt Cooke scored a pair of goals, while Hal Gill scored his first of the season to help lead the Penguins to a 3-1 win. Big win for the Penguins, as it puts them back in the top eight of the Eastern Conference standings.
Flyers 3, Panthers 2: Philadelphia's Jeff Carter is the first man to hit the 30-goal mark this season thanks to his tally at the 12:12 mark of the first period. Simon Gagne added his 19th of the season just two minutes later, as the Flyers pulled out a 3-2 shootout win in Florida. The Panthers managed to overcome the two-goal deficit in the second period thanks to goals from Bryan McCabe and Jay Bouwmeester. Gagne scored the lone goal in the shootout, while Antero Niittymaki stopped 32-of-34 shots through overtime, and all three shots he faced in the shootout.
Thrashers 4, Maple Leafs 3: For the second night in a row, Toronto watched a multiple-goal lead disappear, only this time it wasn't lucky enough to recover for the win. After blowing a 4-0 lead on Thursday in Carolina -- and winning thanks to Tim Gleason sabotaging his own bobblehead night -- the Maple Leafs jumped out to a 3-0 lead on Friday, and slowly watched it disappear as Atlanta came back for a 4-3 win. Ilya Kovalchuk scored a pair of goals, including the game-tying goal at the 15:08 mark of the third period, while Bryan Little notched his 20th of the season. Rich Peverley, recently claimed off waivers from Nashville, scored the game-winner 3:51 into overtime. Kari Lehtonen picked up the win in goal for Atlanta, turning aside all nine shots he faced after Johan Hedberg was lifted after giving up three goals on just eight shots in the first period.
Rangers 3, Blackhawks 2: Despite racking up 37 penalty minutes and being outshot 34-21, the New York Rangers still found a way to pull out a 3-2 overtime win in Chicago. The Blackhawks had five different two-man advantages on the night and scored only one power play goal. Not to be a master of the obvious here, but in a one-goal game, that's huge. Chris Drury scored a pair of power play goals for the Rangers, including the game-winner in overtime.
Oilers 3, Avalanche 2: Shawn Horcoff scored late in the third period to help lead Edmonton to a 3-2 win over Colorado. Mathieu Garon turned aside 37 shots to pick up his sixth win of the season in goal, while Steve Staios and Tom Gilbert also tallied goals in the win.
