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Sat Oct 31, 2009 2:28 am EDT

Friday's Three Stars: OT heroes; Reinprecht's natural trick

By Greg Wyshynski

No. 1 Star: Tim Connolly(notes), Buffalo Sabres

The Sabres moved to 8-1-1 on the season with a 3-2 overtime win over the Toronto Maple Leafs, and Connolly had a hand in all three tallies. He picked up an assist on Drew Stafford's(notes) first-period goal, scored on a breakaway in the second and netted the power-play game-winner at 1:03 of overtime. Ryan Miller(notes) (33 saves) was also outstanding for Buffalo.

No. 2 star: Steven Reinprecht(notes), Florida Panthers

Talk about setting the tone in a road game: Reinprecht scored a natural hat-trick in a 5:11 span of the first period to give the Panthers a 3-0 lead at the Dallas Stars. He later assisted on Jordan Leopold's(notes) first goal as a Panther. This insanely wild game ended up in a 5-5 tie through three periods and overtime; Rostislav Olesz(notes) had the only shootout conversion -- confirmed by video review after some controversy -- for the 6-5 Florida victory.

No. 3 star: Mark Streit(notes), New York Islanders

The Islanders were outshot 40-30 on the road, rallied twice for ties and were facing a Washington Capitals team that had won six in a row. Yet the game went to overtime, and that's where John Tavares(notes) found Mark Streit with a pass in the slot; the defenseman ripped it past Jose Theodore(notes) (26 saves on 30 shots) for the 4-3 victory, just 53 seconds into the extra frame. Streit earlier assisted on Frans Nielsen's(notes) game-tying goal late in the third, and was a plus-2 for the night. Dwayne Roloson(notes) had 37 saves on 40 shots in the win.

Honorable mention: The Pittsburgh Penguins rallied on goals by Ruslan Fedotenko(notes) and Alex Goligoski(notes) with less than three minutes to go against the Columbus Blue Jackets, and then Sidney Crosby(notes) scored a strange shootout goal to clinch the 4-3 victory on the road. ... Minus Marian Gaborik(notes), the New York Rangers fell at the Minnesota Wild, 3-2, as Petr Sykora(notes) and Mikko Koivu(notes) had multi-point nights. For Sykora, the strong effort came after a healthy scratch earlier this week. ... Two-point nights for Kris Versteeg(notes) and Patrick Kane(notes), as well as a strong night of defense in front of Cristobal Huet(notes) (20 saves), propelled the Chicago Blackhawks to a 3-2 win over the visiting Montreal Canadiens. ... You may more may not feel this Andrew Ladd hit belongs among honorable mentions, but it was a heck of a wallop. ...  Corey Perry and Bobby Ryan(notes) scored two goals each and the Anaheim Ducks erased a two-goal deficit with seven (!) consecutive goals to rout the Vancouver Canucks, 7-2. ... Ryane Clowe(notes) scored his first of the season, Dany Heatley(notes) netted his ninth and the San Jose Sharks peppered Craig Anderson(notes) with 46 shots in their 3-1 win over the red-hot Colorado Avalanche. ... Alexander Ovechkin scored his League-leading 14th goal of the season in the Caps' loss.

Did you know?: George Parros(notes), who scored a rare goal for the Ducks, came into last night's action "with a ratio of 65 penalty minutes for every goal he had scored in 242 previous NHL games." (AP)

Dishonorable mention: Just a terrible effort from the Canucks, who saw Andrew Raycoft (18 saves on 22 shots) lifted for Cory Schneider(notes). Nucks Misconduct tried to find the silver lining. ... The Leafs limp out of Buffalo with a point and a 1-7-3 overall record. ... Montreal gave Chicago seven power plays on the night. ... Mike Ribeiro(notes), Brenden Morrow(notes) and Jamie Benn(notes) were all a minus-3 in the Dallas loss. ... Did we mention that not only did enforcer George Parros score for Anaheim, but fellow ruffian Mike Brown also tallied for the fourth time in his career? And shorthanded, no less?

Related: Ryane Clowe, Craig Anderson, , Jamie Benn, Alex Goligoski, Patrick Kane, Kris Versteeg, Mark Streit, Frans Nielsen, Bobby Ryan, Sidney Crosby, John Tavares, Cory Schneider, Drew Stafford, George Parros, Cristobal Huet, Mikko Koivu, Ryan Miller, Marian Gaborik, Dany Heatley, Ruslan Fedotenko, Jordan Leopold, Steven Reinprecht, Brenden Morrow, Tim Connolly, Mike Ribeiro, Jose Theodore, Dwayne Roloson, Petr Sykora, Anaheim Ducks, Buffalo Sabres, Chicago Blackhawks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, Florida Panthers, Minnesota Wild, Montreal Canadiens, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins, San Jose Sharks, Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks, Washington Capitals

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26 Comments

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  1. pooponastick
    1. Posted by pooponastick Sat Oct 31, 2009 3:36 am EDT

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    1st go sharks nice win
  2. skapunknj
    2. Posted by skapunknj Sat Oct 31, 2009 3:38 am EDT

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    The Ladd hit was clean. Debate over.
  3. Matt S
    3. Posted by Matt S Sat Oct 31, 2009 3:45 am EDT

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    am i not reading through this well enough, or did you fail to include Ryan Miller in the honorable mentions? After you praise him to be Player of the month? That guy was a [profane] WALL friday night. Sure it was the leafs, but he came up HUGE on sooooooooo many saves. Had it been lalime in net, would have easily been 5-2 leafs. Monster played great too, maybe not enough for a mention, but Miller deserves some recognition for his stellar performance in front of his future coach and GM (or whatever) of Team USA
  4. Matt S
    4. Posted by Matt S Sat Oct 31, 2009 3:52 am EDT

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    ok, you gave him a little mention in the number one star. Ill count that as number 1B. My apologies for the rant
  5. Johnny Appleseed
    5. Posted by Johnny Appleseed Sat Oct 31, 2009 4:57 am EDT

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    Before people bash Wysh for putting Reinprecht's natural trick as #2, Connolly factored into all three goals of a 3-2 win, scoring two himself including the GWG. Reinprecht did not score the GWG, but did have an assist.
    Connolly deserves it because he scored the GWG, and had as much influence as Reinprecht.
  6. habs1rule
    6. Posted by habs1rule Sat Oct 31, 2009 6:05 am EDT

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    Montreal badly outplayed the Black Hawks and almost won!!
  7. Bhawks19
    7. Posted by Bhawks19 Sat Oct 31, 2009 8:11 am EDT

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    i was at the hawks game last night and first off, the ladd hit was clean, next the hawks played pretty sloppy, both on offense and defense. huet let in a soft goal, but really played well and bailed out the hawks. but all in all, their defense sucked and was nowhere near strong.
  8. Brian C
    8. Posted by Brian C Sat Oct 31, 2009 8:22 am EDT

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    Well, they were badly outshot, but it was a 1 goal game. I'd say Price actually had a good game, despite the loss. But you can't give a good offense like Chicago 7 power plays and expect to win. After the really good effort in the Rangers game, the Habs have started back sliding. Luckily, we play the Leafs tonight - perfect team to have a rebound game against.
  9. lurdane22
    9. Posted by lurdane22 Sat Oct 31, 2009 8:30 am EDT

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    more= or? What a tongue twister! :D
  10. Almost Lewboski
    10. Posted by Almost Lewboski Sat Oct 31, 2009 9:31 am EDT

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    @habs1rule, How many points do you get for "almost won!!"? And great defense by Ovechkin on the Islander game winner. He's the bestest in the whole wide world.
  11. herecomethehawks
    11. Posted by herecomethehawks Sat Oct 31, 2009 10:21 am EDT

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    I watched the Ladd hit and while it may have technically have been legal I don't like that he was thrusting upwards during the hit, which is why his skates came up afterwards.
    The hit to the head probably would have happened anyway, though, because the MTL player was leaning so far forward with his momentum.
    And then Ladd actually defends his actions afterwards. Nice concept, right Kronwall?
  12. WingeyDo
    12. Posted by WingeyDo Sat Oct 31, 2009 10:55 am EDT

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    @ 11 - The Wings remember what the Hawks did to their Captain, and you bash Kronwall for a clean hit?
    don't push it...
  13. Bubbabanjo
    13. Posted by Bubbabanjo Sat Oct 31, 2009 11:49 am EDT

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    They Ladd hit was clean if you were cleanly trying to take a guys head off with a cheap shot. Hits are cool............douche bags intending to injure a fellow athlete are......................douche bags.
    Massengale Player of the Night goes to our Ladd! You are now Sir Massengale of the order of Summers Eve.
    You stink you Douche!!!
  14. Chuck
    14. Posted by Chuck Sat Oct 31, 2009 12:25 pm EDT

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    Wow yeah a first star for a hat trick against the leafs.. thats like getting a trophy for beating up an autistic child... and come on Greg, give Ovechkin a dishonorable mention for his play on the Islanders goal.. you know you want to..
  15. blues_fan_mk
    15. Posted by blues_fan_mk Sat Oct 31, 2009 12:32 pm EDT

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    I thought they were going to go back to wearing the home jerseys at home this year.
  16. knucklehead
    16. Posted by knucklehead Sat Oct 31, 2009 1:05 pm EDT

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    Nice mask Wysh. H.H.ween {^_^}
  17. miah
    17. Posted by miah Sat Oct 31, 2009 1:13 pm EDT

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    Dishonorable to Mike Green for coughing up the puck in the slot for the Isles 2nd goal. Probably won't be a link of that video on greenlife52.
    What a joke.
  18. Guy F
    18. Posted by Guy F Sat Oct 31, 2009 2:12 pm EDT

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    Schneider was awesome for the Moose last year but every time he's called up he fails to impress. Gillis wants to do the honourable thing and trade him so he can compete for a starting gig in the NHL. He's 23 and done everything at the minor league level. However, last year with Luongo out, and last night he struggled. He is a first round pick and the Canucks do not want to just give him away, but the guy has to display SOME value or no one's coming calling...
  19. Ronald W
    19. Posted by Ronald W Sat Oct 31, 2009 2:29 pm EDT

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    miah, I had the pleasure (well not the pleasure) of seeing Green cough off the puck. The Caps sloppiness and the fact the Isles are a hard working team contributed to the result. isles should be 2-0 against my Caps and they are on the cusp of being a real great team. Tavares is impressive.
  20. herecomethehawks
    20. Posted by herecomethehawks Sat Oct 31, 2009 3:04 pm EDT

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    @13
    I said I didn't like the Ladd hit.
    @12: Your comment makes no sense. No one is talking about the alleged testicle sprear, and even if we were Lidstrom is on record as saying it was an accident. Also I wasn't bashing Kronwall for his "clean" hit (which it wasn't), but for his tremendous history of running away from actual confrontation. Has he ever manned up to answer for his actions? At least Ladd realized that if you're going to go for a big hit you have to expect to back it up.
    That point about Kronwall is indisputable, which is probably why you missed my point entirely.
  21. fetus enchiladas
    21. Posted by fetus enchiladas Sat Oct 31, 2009 4:01 pm EDT

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    Ronald, although i understand your disappointment in seeing the isles play well against your boys in d.c., they are still a ways from even being "on the cusp" of becoming a great team. tavares has been good so far, and he'll continue to develop his game and that of his linemates, particularly okposo and moulson if they remain together. their D is nothing to brag about, although they have their scoring and puck moving guy in Streit. depth scoring is a real issue for them, and the goaltending issue has become nothing more than a giant toilet to throw money in for years to come.
    i agree that they have a good foundation right now. the problem is that they won't be getting a new arena, they'll be forced to move, and until they do, the ownership won't spend big money to bring in a solid supporting cast. they go about playing the game the right way and work for 60 minutes. at this point, they're just too overmatched by about 80% of the nhl in terms of talent. in due time, they'll further improve... but the biggest thing they've got working against them is the fact that they play in the atlantic division. the atlantic division is by far the toughest all around division in the nhl. those who want to argue can simply look at the statistics and playoff appearance percentages over the last few years.
    the northeast has lost a step.
    the southeast is a complete joke.
    the central has a lot of good young talent and developing rivalries and could be quite comparable in a couple years.
    the northwest and pacific both have hot teams right now, but time will tell who is really in it.
    lastly, the group of guys known as "defensemen" in d.c. are mud. i don't think mike green can spell the word, let alone know how to play it. on the whole, they have one of the WORST defensive corps in the league. it's embarassing.
  22. habs1rule
    22. Posted by habs1rule Sat Oct 31, 2009 5:59 pm EDT

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    @10..You would think by now a person would know when I was being facetious, like when you're being a loser!!
  23. Almost Lewboski
    23. Posted by Almost Lewboski Sat Oct 31, 2009 7:02 pm EDT

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    @habs1rule, that's just mean man. I hope Brian Burke swipes all your halloween candy.
  24. habs1rule
    24. Posted by habs1rule Sat Oct 31, 2009 7:37 pm EDT

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    A Bitten Candy apple for Two first rounders...Please stop ringing my doorbell....And I apologize.

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