Ex-Hawk Anderson sparkles once again
Craig Anderson wasn't perfect. For a change, the Florida Panthers' goalie didn't have to be.
The former Blackhawks goalie stopped 25 shots and the Panthers beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-2 on Thursday night. After leading Florida to consecutive 1-0 victories, Anderson's bid for a third consecutive shutout ended early, yet he was good enough to help the Panthers open a critical seven-game homestand with a victory.
Anderson stopped 93 shots in his previous two outings at the New York Islanders and Boston Bruins, making Florida the first NHL team to win consecutive 1-0 games on the road.
No other goalie in league history -- since such stats began being kept in the 1955-56 season -- had ever stopped more than 75 shots in consecutive shutouts.
By the time Anderson faced his first shot, he already had a 2-0 lead.
From there, all eyes were on Anderson -- whose streak would soon end. Malone tapped in a rebound at 6:19 of the first, snapping Anderson's run of 106 consecutive saves.
"Once they scored, it was actually a big weight off my chest," Anderson said. "There was a little bit of pressure there."
Avalanche 1, Ducks 0: Jose Theodore stopped 27 shots for his second shutout of the season, Wojtek Wolski added a goal, and host Colorado won its fifth straight.
The Ducks have now been shutout in back-to-back games, losing 3-0 to the Blackhawks the night before.
The Avalanche remain perfect (5-0) since signing Peter Forsberg and acquiring defensemen Adam Foote and Ruslan Salei just before the trade deadline.
Rangers 4, Islanders 1: Scott Gomez deflected a shot past Islanders backup goalie Wade Dubielewicz early in the third period, and the visiting Rangers earned a split of the home-and-home series.
Maple Leafs 8, Bruins 2: Bryan McCabe had a goal and an assist during a 4-goal second period to lead resurgent Toronto past host Boston.
Flyers 3, Lightning 2: Jeff Carter scored his second goal with 1:54 left in the third period, and host Philadelphia snapped a five-year home losing streak against the Lightning.
Canadiens 4, Coyotes 2: Saku Koivu, Andrei Markov and Sergei Kostitsyn scored third-period goals as visiting Montreal rallied to beat Phoenix.
Hurricanes 3, Wild 2: Matt Cullen had a goal and an assist to lead surging Carolina past visiting Minnesota.