Canucks sign Kesler to 6-year, $30M deal
(Fri, 19 Mar 2010 10:53:23 PDT)
Canucks center Ryan Kesler signed a six-year, $30 million contract extension on Friday that will keep him in Vancouver through the 2015-16 season. In his sixth season with the Canucks, the 25-year-old Kesler has already set a new career high with 66 points in 71 games, exceeding the 59 points he recorded last season, when he was a Selke Trophy finalist as the NHL's top defensive forward.

Ducks D Wisniewski suspended 8 games
(Thu, 18 Mar 2010 20:38:33 PDT)
Anaheim Ducks defenseman James Wisniewski was suspended for eight games without pay Thursday for knocking Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Brent Seabrook out of a game at Anaheim. The incident occurred at 2:22 of the second period during the Blackhawks' 4-2 loss on Wednesday. Seabrook's head struck the glass with such force that it left him with a dazed expression a couple of seconds before he...

Bruins pay back Cooke, Penguins win 3-0
(Thu, 18 Mar 2010 20:11:30 PDT)
The revenge-minded Boston Bruins got in some early shots. The Pittsburgh Penguins connected on the ones that counted. Marc-Andre Fleury made 17 saves for Pittsburgh's first shutout of the season and the Penguins won 3-0 as the Bruins got little spark from their retaliation against Matt Cooke less than 2 minutes into the game Thursday night.

Kopecky, Niemi help Chicago blank Kings
(Thu, 18 Mar 2010 23:32:53 PDT)
A couple of timely goals by a fourth-line forward and a pair of stellar defensive plays by one of Chicago's few healthy defensemen helped the Blackhawks move into a tie with San Jose for the Western Conference lead. Tomas Kopecky scored twice in a 3:20 span in the third period, and Antti Niemi made 17 saves for his fifth career shutout in the Blackhawks' 3-0 victory over the Los Angeles...

Carolina beats Ovechkin-less Caps in OT
(Thu, 18 Mar 2010 20:05:43 PDT)
Ray Whitney has found himself a leader of a very young Carolina Hurricanes team as the regular season winds down. On Thursday night, he showed the youngsters how to get it done against the best team in the NHL. Whitney ripped the puck through the left armpit of rookie goalie Semyon Varlamov at 4:02 of overtime, giving the Hurricanes a 4-3 victory over the Washington Capitals.

Kariya scores 400th as Blues top Rangers
(Thu, 18 Mar 2010 20:02:46 PDT)
Paul Kariya barely had time to celebrate his 400th NHL goal before St. Louis Blues teammate Keith Tkachuk put things into perspective. "Now you're about 135 behind me," the grizzled veteran said, laughing. "Not that I'm counting." Kariya actually trails Tkachuk by 137 goals.

Canucks record rare victory over Sharks
(Thu, 18 Mar 2010 23:05:33 PDT)
The Vancouver Canucks didn't have any problems getting focused and motivated for this opponent. The Canucks bounced back from a lopsided loss to the lowly New York Islanders two nights earlier with a 3-2 victory over San Jose on Thursday, beating the Sharks for just the second time in 10 games over three seasons.

Kessel pushes surging Leafs by Devils
(Thu, 18 Mar 2010 20:35:42 PDT)
Phil Kessel and the lowly Toronto Maple Leafs had some fun -- at the New Jersey Devils' expense. Kessel scored in regulation and in a shootout to help the Maple Leafs win for the fifth time in six games, 2-1 over the Devils on Thursday night. "We're playing for each other," Kessel said.

Predators' Rinne defeats Wild 5-0
(Thu, 18 Mar 2010 20:50:37 PDT)
Pekka Rinne and the Nashville Predators made it look easy against the Minnesota Wild. Rinne made 17 saves for his fifth shutout of the season, and Colin Wilson, Jason Arnott, and Patric Hornqvist each had a goal and an assist in the Predators' 5-0 victory over the Wild on Thursday night. Nashville won its fourth straight, ending Minnesota's winning streak at three.