Recap of Wednesday and Thursday's Western Conference Matchups:
Vancouver Canucks 1 @ Pittsburgh Penguins 3. The monkey is off of their back! A decade of oppression and degredation has been nullified as the Penguins finally, after ... oh, it was only four games? Well, that's not all that bad: the Penguins overcame their woes when hosting the Canucks and took the opportunities they had to turn them into wins. Marc-Andre Fleury was almost flawless in the game. The Canucks still sit atop their Northwest Division in the Western Conference with a 10-4-4 record.
St. Louis Blues 3 @ Detroit Red Wings 7. The Blues failed to gain any ground on the stellar Red Wings when they played on Wednesday. With the game tied at three-all, the Red Wings went into beast mode and put up four goals in three minutes, fourteen seconds. Say what? The Blues stay in third place in the Central Division, while the Red Wings extend their lead in the same.
Anaheim Ducks 1 @ Minnesota Wild 2. The Ducks couldn't get it done in overtime, losing to the Wild who are presently red-hot. The Ducks stand at second in the Pacific Division, ahead of the Bay Area's own Sharks, while the Wild inch closer to the second-place Avalanche in the Northwest Division with their 9-6-2 record.
Phoenix Coyotes 3 @ Calgary Flames 1. The Coyotes need these wins, they need 'em bad, and the Pacific Division (that's us, folks) seems to be up for grabs. Wins like this over the Flames help as such. They currently sit just out of last place above the Stars in the division, while Calgary did nothing to improve their own position - the same as the Coyotes - in the Northwestern Division.
Chicago Blackhawks 5 @ Edmonton Oilers 0. Giving up a hat trick and five goals, the Oilers have more questions than answers. They have more stunned silences with shrugged shoulders than any team in the league, as well. Jonathan Toews recorded a hat trick while Marty Turco fell asleep, only to wake up and discover he'd just shut out the Oilers, who sit at the bottom of the Northwest Division. The Blackhawks are slowly creeping up on the Red Wings.
Columbus Blue Jackets 5 @ Los Angeles Kings 3. You can thank the Sharks for the Kings' recent skid, and you can also pray that it will continue. The Kings slipped a bit, but still sit at the top of the Pacific Division. This was their first home loss of the year, and the Blue Jackets, presently fourth in the Central standings, have to feel good going forward, even at 10-6.
Nashville Predators 3 @ Montreal Canadiens 0. Pekka Rinne is an absolute beast, can we get that out there first? Just a great player (albeit inconsistent), making thirty saves en route to his second shutout on the season, the Predators will make baby steps up their division if they can continue play like that.