(Sports Network) - Dany Heatley's decision to block a trade to the Edmonton Oilers this past summer has certainly paid off for the San Jose Sharks. Edmonton fans will get their first chance tonight to let Heatley know how they feel, as San Jose visits Rexall Place.
Coming off a 72-point total last year that was his lowest in four seasons with the Ottawa Senators, Heatley demanded a trade following the season despite having signed a lofty six-year extension with the team in October of 2007.
The Oilers reportedly had a deal in place with the Senators in late June, agreeing to send Dustin Penner, Andrew Cogliano and Ladislav Smid to Ottawa for Heatley, but the 28-year-old forward invoked his no-trade clause according to reports.
Having spurned Edmonton, Heatley was eventually traded to San Jose on September 12 along with a 2010 fifth-round draft pick for Milan Michalek, Jonathan Cheechoo and a second-round pick in 2010.
The move has worked out well for San Jose, which leads the NHL with 38 points and owns a six-point edge on second-place Los Angeles in the Pacific Division. Heatley himself ranks second in the NHL with 18 goals, and has notched eight goals and 11 points in his last nine games.
The Sharks, though, were given a wake-up call on Wednesday, falling to the red-hot Chicago Blackhawks, 7-2, in a game in which San Jose allowed a franchise-record three short-handed goals. That includes one scored by Chicago's Marian Hossa, who was traded to the Thrashers from the Senators back in August of 2005 in a deal involving Heatley.
San Jose avoided the shutout on Wednesday by getting late goals from Dan Boyle and Joe Pavelski. Heatley and Joe Thornton assisted on Boyle's goal, with Thornton posting his NHL-leading 26th assist. Thornton is also tied for the most points in the NHL with 33.
Sharks netminder Evgeni Nabokov gave up four goals on 29 shots before exiting the game early. Backup Thomas Greiss gave up three goals on 12 shots in relief as San Jose lost for the third time in five games while suffering its first regulation defeat at home this year (7-1-2).
"When you're not prepared to play, not alert and not sharp, those things can happen, especially when you're playing against perhaps the top team in the National Hockey League," said Sharks head coach Todd McLellan. "You give up three shorties in one night, you're not winning. It just snowballed from there. As a collective group, players, coaches, we're all disappointed."
The Oilers could sure use Heatley, as they have dropped six of their last eight games (2-5-1). They fell to 2-2-0 on a five-game homestand with Wednesday's 3-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings.
Ryan Potulny netted the only goal for the Oilers and Jeff Deslauriers allowed two goals on 34 shots to take the hard-luck loss. With starter Nikolai Khabibulin battling back spasms, Deslauriers has started the last four games in net, posting a 2.76 goals-against average with a shutout.
"I don't know that it's a funk," said Oilers head coach Pat Quinn of his team's play. "Maybe we are playing where we are."
Khabibulin is doubtful for tonight after missing practice again on Thursday, while forward Ales Hemsky is questionable after suffering an upper-body injury when he was boarded in the second period versus Los Angeles.
The Sharks won three of four versus the Oilers last year and have won three straight in Edmonton.
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Toronto Maple Leafs at Florida Panthers
(Sports Network) - The Florida Panthers will try to extend their points streak to nine games tonight, when they face a Toronto Maple Leafs squad that has notched a point in each of its last four games.
Toronto, which has lost two straight in Florida, is 2-0-2 in its last four games thanks to a 4-3 victory over Tampa Bay on Wednesday. Matt Stajan had the game-winning tally in the second period and Niklas Hagman notched a pair of goals to give him four in his last three games.
Nikolai Kulemin also scored for Toronto and rookie Carl Gunnarsson tallied three assists in what was his sixth NHL game. Jonas Gustavsson stopped 28 shots, including all six he faced in the third period.
"The whole third period, I think that was the best play we've shown so far this season when we've had the lead," said Gustavsson, who will face the Panthers for the first time tonight.
Toronto snapped a three-game skid on the road, where it is 3-5-4 this season.
Though the Panthers have lost two straight games, both setbacks have come after regulation, and Wednesday's 2-1 shootout loss to the New York Rangers gave Florida a 5-0-3 mark in its last eight games.
Dominic Moore gave the Panthers their lone score with 4:53 left to play in the third period, but Florida came up empty on all three of its attempts in the shootout. Tomas Vokoun made 27 saves in regulation and overtime, but was beaten once in the final session.
"I think we did a really good job on the forecheck," Moore said of the goal. "We just sort of got lucky getting the puck through a screen."
Florida did go 0-for-5 on the power play, though, making the club scoreless in its last 14 chances with the man advantage.
The Panthers, who are 8-2-3 in their last 13 games, will wrap up a three-game homestand tonight at BankAtlantic Center, where they are 3-5-3 this year. They hope to do so with Gregory Campbell back in the lineup, as the center has missed the last two games with an upper-body injury.
Florida will be looking to win a fifth straight game versus Toronto after taking all four meetings with the club last year. Vokoun was in net for three of those games, posting a 2.32 goals-against average. He is 6-1-2 with a 1.98 GAA lifetime versus the Maple Leafs.
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Calgary Flames at Detroit Red Wings
(Sports Network) - The Detroit Red Wings hope to break out of a long scoring slump when the Calgary Flames invade Joe Louis Arena tonight for the second meeting between these teams of the 2009-10 season.
Detroit enters this evening's tilt having lost four of its last five games and has registered one goal or less in each of those defeats. The Red Wings were stoned by Atlanta's Ondrej Pavelec in their most recent outing, with the young goaltender turning back all 40 shots he faced in leading the Thrashers to a 2-0 road win.
"It's not going in for us now," said Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock after the loss. "It's really frustrating, but we have to keep pressing and shooting and going to the net."
Jimmy Howard finished with 23 saves for Detroit, which lost for the third straight time at Joe Louis Arena and fell to 7-3-2 as the host this season. The Wings have not dropped four consecutive home games since February 7-29, 2008.
Detroit did muster enough offense to produce a 3-1 victory over the Flames in Calgary back on October 31, with Brad Stuart, Tomas Holmstrom and Kirk Maltby all lighting the lamp.
The sputtering Red Wings figure to face a tough challenge tonight from the Flames' Miikka Kiprusoff, however. The former Vezina Trophy winner is 6-1-3 with a 2.14 goals against average on the road this season and was sharp in Calgary's 2-1 home win over Phoenix on Wednesday, stopping 27 of the Coyotes' 28 shots.
With the game tied at 1-1 with under six minutes left, the Flames' David Moss sent a blind backhand pass from behind the net to Nigel Dawes, who slammed the puck past Phoenix's Ilya Bryzgalov for the game-winning score.
"It was a great pass," said Dawes. "[Moss] put it right on my stick."
Daymond Langkow also had a goal to help the Flames prevail for the second time in their last three games. Calgary trails first-place Colorado by only one point in the Northwest Division standings.
The Flames will be searching for only their second victory in their last seven regular-season appearances at Joe Louis Arena tonight. Detroit has taken six of the past nine overall encounters between these teams as well.