National Hockey League

Evgeni Malkin attempt to mark his name further into NHL lore tonight when his Pittsburgh Penguins continue their road trip against the San Jose Sharks at HP Pavilion.

Malkin, the second-overall pick in the 2004 Entry Draft, has scored a goal in each of his first six NHL games -- the longest such run in 89 years. He became the first player to do so since the NHL's debut season of 1917-18. That season the trio of Joe Malone (14 games), Cy Denneny (12) and Newsy Lalonde (8) all accomplished the feat.

An NHL player has not scored goals in each of his first seven games of a season since 1992-93, when Mario Lemieux started the campaign with a 12-game tear.

On Wednesday, Malkin scored twice, including the winner in overtime to cap the night, as the Penguins defeated the Los Angeles Kings, 4-3, in overtime at Staples Center.

Fellow rookie Jordan Staal also scored while Noah Welch netted his first goal of the season for the Penguins, who have won five games in a row for the first time since the 2001-02 season, when they won six straight.

Marc-Andre Fleury made 24 saves as the Penguins beat the Kings for the first time in nine meetings.

Sidney Crosby posted three assists to extend his point streak to five games (4g, 8a).

The Pens will conclude their four-game road trip on Monday in Anaheim.

San Jose, meanwhile, had a modest two-game winning streak ended in a 3-1 home loss to the NY Rangers on Thursday. Kevin Weekes dazzled with 29 saves and three different Rangers scored goals to lift the visitors.

Kyle McLaren scored late in the third period to cut San Jose's deficit, while Evgeni Nabokov allowed two goals on 18 shots in the losing effort.

The Sharks have lost three of their last five games overall and will host Minnesota on Tuesday to finish a three-game homestand.

San Jose and Pittsburgh last faced off on February 27, 2004, a 4-2 Sharks win. The Sharks are 8-1-1 in the last 10 meetings, and the Pens are 0-5-1 in their last six trips to San Jose.

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Flyers are looking to sign free agent veteran defenceman Brian Leetch.

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Flyers are looking to sign free agent veteran defenceman Brian Leetch.

The Flyers are without Mike Rathje for an indefinite period due to a herniated disk, and would like Leetch to solidify their power play.

"Brian has not made any decisions about the season so far," Leetch's agent Jay Grossman told the Inquirer. "We've been contacted by a number of teams about playing this season. There are a number of things Brian has to sort through. He's made no decision in his personal situation."

Currently, the Flyers have Joni Pitkanen quarterbacking the power play with some help from newcomer Nolan Baumgartner and second-year NHLer Freddy Meyer, neither of whom boasts power play credentials to match Leetch, an 18-year NHL veteran who has scored 1028 points in 1205 career games with the Rangers, Maple Leafs and Bruins.

Leetch, 38, had 32 points, and a minus-10 rating, in 61 games with Boston last season.

2005-06 RANGERS PROSPECT RECAP

Throughout the 2005-06 season, it was clear that speedy and skilled two-way players play a key role in today's NHL.
With this trend expected to continue, the Rangers are fortunate have a real gem in Forward Lauri Korpikoski.
The 19th overall selection in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, Korpikoski’s stock rose in the months leading up to the draft as word of his lightning quick stick, crafty playmaking ability and keen hockey sense spread rapidly.
Fearing that he wouldn’t be there with the 24th pick, the Rangers traded up to nab the dynamic Finn who was at the top of their draft board.

It is a move that should have the Garden buzzing for years.“Lauri is a very responsible young man who skates very well," said Rangers Vice President of Player Personnel and Assistant General Manager Don Maloney. "He is competitive, has terrific hands, is extremely quick both on and off the puck, and has a lot of offense in his game.

He has the ability to be a 25 to 30 goal-a-year guy.
”Asides from his great skill set, the 6-foot-1, 195-pounder has shown the intangibles and leadership qualities needed to excel at the NHL level. He plays with great passion and intensity, is relentless on the forecheck and has a reputation for constantly outworking opponents. Equally impressive, at only 19 years of age, he is very vocal on the bench, almost daring his teammates to match his intensity level.
A few months after the draft, Korpikoski became the youngest player to skate in the Finnish Elite League, and over the past two years he has posted a deceiving three goals and 10 assists for 13 points in 92 games. In 2005-06, he had a brilliant three-game stretch from Sept. 22- 30 in which he dominated play by netting a pair of goals along with one assist.
Nominated as the best Finnish player under 20 and regarded as one of the top overall prospects in all of Finland, Korpikoski is garnering a lot of attention from the country that captured the silver medal in this year's Olympic Games in Turino.
Korpikoski scored two goals in five regular-season AHL games.Korpikoski has been at his best on the international level. Skating for Finland at the 2004 Under-18 tournament, he tied for the tournament lead with 11 points (five goals, six assists) in six matches.

In 2005, he notched two goals in six games for the Under-19 squad. Most recently, he lead Finland to a bronze medal at the 2006 (U-20) World Junior Championships, collecting six points in seven games. He ranked second on the team and tied for fifth among all players in the tournament with five assists, while his six points tied for second on the Finnish Team.

The Rangers signed Korpikoski to a professional contract on April 12 and assigned him to Hartford, and he quickly showed why the Blueshirts traded up to grab him two years ago. Exactly five minutes into his first game, Korpikoski banged home a rebound on the power play.

In five regular-season games, he recorded two goals and one assist for three points. During the Wolf Pack’s playoff run, the gritty left winger added another goal off a pass from fellow Finn Jarkko Immonen. While he has improved upon his once slender 6-foot, 180-pound frame, Korpikoski is still looking to bulk up during the off-season.
And while he got a taste of it at the end of the 2005-06 campaign in Hartford, he is working hard to acclimate himself to the North American pro game and is on track to make a big impact in the years to come.

And a Child Shall Lead Them

By Mike Brody
WagerWeb.com Contributing Writer

Rookie goaltenders have had success in the Stanley Cup Playoffs before – most notably with Ken Dryden in 1971 and Patrick Roy in 1986, both leading the Montreal Canadiens to the Cup – but never before has a crop of rookie goalies dominated the playoffs like they have this season.

Of the five remaining teams in this year’s playoffs, three are led by rookie goalies and another by a first-year starter. Carolina’s Cam Ward, Buffalo’s Ryan Miller, Anaheim’s Ilya Bryzgalov, and San Jose’s Vesa Toskala have all enjoyed incredible playoff success thus far.

Seven-year veteran Dwayne Roloson of the Edmonton Oilers, who was acquired in a mid-season trade with the Minnesota Wild, is the only experienced goaltender left. I don’t think anyone would have predicted that, especially with the presence of such big-name goalies as Martin Brodeur and Miikka Kiprusoff, and other veteran backstops or NHL powerhouses like Detroit’s Manny Legace, Dallas’s Marty Turco, and Colorado’s Jose Theodore, among the contenders.

The New Favorite

Thanks to a surprisingly easy 4 games to 1 victory over the New Jersey Devils, and a dominating performance winning four straight games over Montreal after losing the first two in Round 1, the Carolina Hurricanes have emerged as the new favorite to win Lord Stanley’s Cup. Despite finishing the regular season with 112 points, just 1 behind Eastern Conference leader Ottawa, the Hurricanes’ odds of winning the Cup entering the playoffs were posted at 10-1. That was before the oddsmakers had seen Ward turn away almost every shot he’s faced.

In 10 playoff games, the 22-year-old rookie has allowed just 17 goals while posting a 1.77 goals against average (GAA). Ward let in just five goals in Carolina’s four victories over New Jersey as he outplayed his boyhood idol Brodeur. With his stellar play, and the Hurricanes’ opportunistic offense, led by 100-point scorer Eric Staal, Carolina will be tough to beat.

The Upstart Challenger

The Sabres’ Miller is the only U.S.-born goalie among the Fab Four. He hopes to duplicate the feat of another rookie American goalie, Ron Hextall, who led the Philadelphia Flyers to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1987. After a shaky start in Game 1 against Ottawa, Buffalo’s defense and Miller shut down the Senators the rest of the way, allowing two or fewer goals in each of the last four games. The Michigan native has a 2.25 GAA and a .921 save percentage in the first two rounds of the playoffs.

Buffalo’s defense has been stellar in front of Miller. Defensemen Toni Lydman and Henrik Tallinder lead all playoff performers in plus/minus at plus-13. The Sabres’ offense has been scoring in bunches. Buffalo has a team-leading 43 goals scored in 11 games and is riding high after winger Jason Pominville’s shorthanded, overtime goal clinched the series against Ottawa.

Mr. Perfect – Almost

Anaheim’s Bryzgalov has been the most surprising and impressive of all the rookies. Bryzgalov didn’t even enter the playoffs as the Ducks’ No. 1 goalie. That honor went to Jean-Sebastian Giguere, who led Anaheim to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2003, his second year in the league, and was named the Conn Smythe winner as the MVP of the playoffs that season.

After splitting their first four games against Calgary in Round 1, the Ducks made the switch to Bryzgalov and they haven’t regretted it. The 24-year-old Russian has practically stood on his head as he is sporting a ridiculous 0.87 GAA and .967 save percentage. He recorded three straight shutouts, including Game 7 at Calgary to clinch that series. In doing so, Bryzgalov set a rookie playoff record, holding opponents scoreless for 249 minutes, 15 seconds. Only Montreal’s George Hainsworth, 270:08 in 1930, has had a longer playoff scoreless streak.

The Final Four

San Jose’s Toskala is hoping to join his fellow first-year netminders in the conference finals. After an excellent series against Nashville in Round 1, including a shutout in Game 2, and two 2-1 victories to open the Edmonton series, Toskala and the Sharks find themselves on the ropes as the Oilers have stormed back to take a 3-2 series lead. Edmonton will try to close it out at home on Wednesday night.

San Jose’s offense is led by Patrick Marleau, who leads all playoff goal scorers with nine. The Sharks will need to get an early lead and help Toskala protect it to force a Game 7 at home on Friday.

The Finals

The matchup between Ward and Miller should be as entertaining as it gets. Both are capable of stealing a game or two for their respective teams. Carolina is the favorite, but Buffalo has a lot of momentum and Miller has shown he can win the close games with four one-goal victories against Ottawa. Look for the Sabres to get to the Finals.

The Ducks have had a long time off after unexpectedly sweeping the Avalanche. Anaheim may be a little rusty to start the conference finals, but the Ducks have good veteran leadership in Scott Niedermayer and Teemu Selanne and will ride the stellar play of Bryzgalov past either the Oilers or the Sharks to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals.

N.Y. Rangers Jagr Has Shoulder Surgery

New York Rangers standout Jaromir Jagr had successful surgery Monday to repair his dislocated left shoulder.
Jagr is expected to begin rehab this week. The Rangers expect him to make a full recovery in time for the start of the 2006-07 season.
The injury occurred in Game One of the Rangers' Eastern Conference quarterfinal series against New Jersey.

PACK FIGHT BACK TO EVEN SERIES WITH PORTLAND

The Rangers' AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack, continued its remarkable playoff run on Sunday night in Portland, Maine, coming back from a 2-1 deficit with three unanswered goals to beat the host Pirates 4-2 and tie the Atlantic Division finals series at two games apiece.All four Hartford goals were scored by rookies, as Daniel Girardi, Jarkko Immonen, Greg Moore and Lauri Korpikoski all found the net. Alexandre Giroux, tied for second in AHL playoff scoring with 16 points, had two assists for the Pack, and Chad Wiseman led all scorers with three assists.Chris Holt, another rookie who tended goal for the Rangers during one regular-season game in 2005-06, was outstanding with 39 saves for Hartford. Since becoming the team's No. 1 goalie following a season-ending shoulder injury to Al Montoya, Holt has gone 4-2 in the Wolf Pack net.Moore and Korpikoski, who both joined the Wolf Pack late in the season after signing their first pro contracts with the Rangers, notched the game-winning and insurance goals. Moore, a four-year member of the University of Maine team, notched the winner at 12:37 of the second period, just over two minutes after Immonen had tied the game at 2-2.Korpikoski gave the Pack a two-goal lead on a power play at 4:16 of the third period. A first-round draft pick in 2004, Korpikoski beat fellow Finn Jani Hurme for his first playoff goal.Earlier in the game, Girardi, a defenseman, had made it 1-0 on a power play at 14:12 of the first period. Wiseman and Giroux assisted on the goal, which was Girardi's second in two games.With his two assists, Giroux ran his multi-point scoring streak to five games.Bruno St. Jacques and Pierre Parenteau scored for Portland, which lost in regulation for the first time since Apr. 8.Portland, the Atlantic Division's regular-season champion, would have to win both of its last two games at home to avoid a Game 7 in Hartford next week. The Wolf Pack already eliminated Manchester in a Game 7 during the first round.The series resumes with Thursday night with a third consecutive game at the Cumberland County Civic Center in Portland. Due to building conflicts, the Pirates were forced to use their home-ice advantage for Games 3-6, giving the Pack home ice for a possible Game 7.

Devils sweep away hapless N.Y. Rangers

Patrik Elias jump-started the streaking New Jersey Devils in the playoff opener and then used another flourish to sweep away the New York Rangers.
Elias scored two goals and assisted on Scott Gomez’s power-play goal early in the second period — that wiped out the Rangers’ only lead of the series — giving the Devils a 4-2 win Saturday and ending the first-round matchup in four straight games.
Brian Gionta sealed the deal 4:30 into the third period with the Devils’ third short-handed goal of the series after a terrible turnover by Petr Sykora.
Elias ripped in another goal, his fifth of the series, with 6:39 left to make it 4-1.
The Rangers scored only four times in four games, while yielding 17 goals.
New Jersey will have to wait to find out who it will meet in the second round, but will enter that series just as it did this one — as the hottest team in the NHL. The workmanlike Devils stretched their winning streak to 15 games, tying the league mark for the longest run that spanned the regular season and playoffs.
Martin Brodeur made 31 saves and broke Patrick Roy’s league record by playing his 137th consecutive postseason game. His 88th playoff win moved him into a third-place tie with Billy Smith and Ed Belfour on the NHL career list.

Next week on TV (5-1/5-7)

By Daniel Kline
WagerWeb.com Contributing Writer

Both the NBA and the NHL close out the first round of their playoffs. In baseball, you’ve got the Orioles and the Blue Jays, matching up in what has to be one of the biggest questions of the baseball season. One of these teams might hang on to challenge the Yankees and Red Sox, but probably not both, making this early season tilt a little more interesting.

*All times Eastern.

Monday, May 1
NFL Europe, Berlin at Rhein (3 p.m., NFL Network)
Stop arguing about who your team drafted and check in on the sport’s minor league with this mid-afternoon match-up. Though NFL Europe might not get the attention of its big brother, the league offers a good chance to figure out which back-up players might break through come the fall.

Tuesday, May 2
Yankees at Red Sox (7:05 p.m., DirecTV, regional)
Every Yankees versus Red Sox match-up gets covered like a playoff game in Boston and New York, so expect tempers to flare in this tilt. The Sox have had the early season advantage, but that’s nothing new, as the Sox always have a division lead in the Summer – the question is whether they can hold it in the Fall.

Wednesday, May 3
Boxing (9 p.m. ESPN2)
Sharmba Mitchell takes on Jose Luis Cruz in a 10-round welterweight tilt. Cruz plays the role of the fighter on the way up, taking on former two-time champion Mitchell, who wants one more shot at the gold. Mitchell was knocked out in the sixth round in his last fight, but that was against Floyd Mayweather – one of the best in the division – so he’s aiming to prove that was a fluke and knock Cruz off the ladder of contention.

Thursday, May 4
Wachovia Open (4 p.m., USA)
A Tiger-less field should leave this one pretty wide open. Vijay Singh attempts to repeat as champion, a title he took last year in a three-way playoff with Sergio Garcia and Jim Furyk.

Friday, May 5
College Volleyball (Midnight, ESPN2)
Catch the men’s semifinal of the NCAA men’s volleyball tournament. This might be your last chance to see some of your favorite players before they turn pro and head out on the lucrative men’s volleyball tour.

Saturday, May 6
Kentucky Derby (6 p.m., NBC)
Horse racing only matters three times a year to the average fan, but the Kentucky captures the best of the sport. Because it’s the first Triple Crown race, every Derby winner stands the chance of being the first horse to bring home racing’s most elusive prize since Affirmed in 1978.

Sunday, May 7
Premier League Soccer (5 p.m., FOXESP)
Two of the big powers in the Premiership face off as Newcastle battles Chelsea in an attempt to cut into Chelsea’s overall lead in the standings. Chelsea did just fall in the FA Cup semifinal, but their big lead in the regular season standings makes clinching the title almost inevitable.


Daniel Kline’s book “50 Things Every Guy Should Know How To Do” is available in bookstores nationwide. He can be reached at dan@notastep.com.

Bet the Board @ WagerWeb.com Sportsbook - Click here to view live odds