Hype for January 29, 2010
Friday, January 29, 2010
Tampa Bay Lightning
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, in his ongoing effort to resolve the Lightning's ownership issues, has recruited Boston hedge fund manager Jeff Vinik to explore becoming either a majority partner or outright owner of the team.
The league declined comment, and several phone calls to the media contact at Vinik's company were not returned. But Vinik's representatives recently were in Tampa doing due diligence and looking over the St. Pete Times Forum, and speculation is if something was to come together, it will happen sooner rather than later.
It was unclear if Vinik would recruit other investors and what roles, if any, Lightning co-owners Oren Koules and Len Barrie, would have if Vinik moved forward. But his involvement adds to a tumultuous and intriguing time for the organization.
Chicago Blackhawks
On the day they were to play arguably their most important game of the season, Patrick Kane and several Hawks first addressed the surfacing of photos of the winger with teammates Kris Versteeg and John Madden in the back of a limousine with their shirts off, drinking and surrounded by three unidentified women during a night in Vancouver earlier this week.
"For us, obviously, it's not the way we want to represent the team." Kane said Thursday before the Hawks' game against the Sharks, whom they are battling for first place in the Western Conference. "It has been discussed internally with the team and it has been figured out inside this locker room."
Los Angeles Kings
Jonathan Quick handled the first two minutes, and teammate Anze Kopitar took over from there.
Quick, the Los Angeles goalie, made seven saves - most on point-blank shots - at the outset and Kopitar scored his 100th and 101st NHL goals in the Kings' 4-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday night.
San Jose Sharks
Colorado Avalanche
Martin Havlat's goal with 4:49 left sent the Minnesota Wild to a 1-0 win over Colorado on Thursday night, denying Craig Anderson another shutout and handing the Avalanche their first loss since Jan. 8 at Carolina.
Anderson, going for his third shutout in four games, slid to his right in anticipation of a shot from Kyle Brodziak, who instead backhanded the puck to Havlat. The Wild forward was sandwiched between two Colorado defenders and slid the puck into the open net.
Anderson's shutout streak ended at 126 minutes 24 seconds.
Edmonton Oilers
The Oilers' winless streak has reached a dirty dozen.
Eric Brewer and Alex Steen scored for St. Louis as the Blues beat Edmonton 2-1 on Thursday night, extending the Oilers' winless streak to 12 games.
Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks finished the game the way they started it, overwhelming the San Jose Sharks in a matchup between the NHL's top two teams.
Troy Brouwer scored his second goal of the game 1:37 into overtime and the Blackhawks fought back after blowing a three-goal lead to beat San Jose 4-3 Thursday night in a possible playoff preview.
Phoenix Coyotes
The Phoenix Coyotes were relieved they could force the Calgary Flames' long skid to last at least one more game.
It wasn't easy.
The Coyotes failed to hold a two-goal lead against the desperate Flames, but Robert Lang and Lauri Korpikoski scored the only goals in the shootout to give them a 3-2 victory Thursday night and extend Calgary's winless streak to nine games.
Ottawa Senators
Ottawa Senators were admittedly embarrassed during their last visit to Pittsburgh. Just five weeks later, they left the Steel City on one of the best streaks in franchise history. Brian Elliott made 30 saves to win his sixth consecutive start, and the Senators tied a club record with their eighth straight win, 4-1 over the Penguins on Thursday night.
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