3/29/12 - Studs & Duds

[TK12555]

Sorry for the condensed Studs and Duds, but gotta get to bed early and get up early

Lots of Studs and lots of duds. Rather than the usual format of 6 expanded points, tonight's feature will have multiple studs and multiple duds, with explanations of their nights. Here are the studs and duds for March 29, 2012:

Studs

Quite the "Danny" Player: In a 7-1 rout over the Toronto Maple Leafs, Flyers' center Daniel Briere recorded 4 assists and 3 shots to lead his team in points.

The other Fly Guys: While Briere deserved singled-out recognition, Jaromir Jagr, Brayden Schenn, and Wayne Simmonds combined for 4 goals and 4 assists in the demolishing effort.

The Return of Old Ovie?: Despite a few missed chances and no goals, Alexander Ovechkin looked like a much more confident and character-filled player in the Capitals' 3-2 shootout victory. He got 2 assists, 5 shots, and played over 23 minutes on the night.

Malone? I thought Stamkos scored all the goals!: As the hockey world found out on Thursday, apparently somebody other than Steven Stamkos scores goals on the Tampa Bay Lightning. Despite a 6-4 loss, Ryan Malone recorded a hattrick for the Bolts and added 6 shots. The Lightning did fall short, but it wasn't without a fighting effort from Malone.

Short-handed Heaven: In one night, it's quite rare to see 1 short-handed goal. However, tonight there were 4 short-handed goals scored by 4 different teams in 3 different games. With Matt Read, Pascal Dupuis, and Dainius Zubrus scoring while down a man, Josh Bailey added to this total by potting the second short-handed goal of the Penguins/Islanders contest.

Speaking of Josh: When you think of high-scoring players on the Islanders, John Tavares and Matt Moulson come to mind. To some, perhaps even P.A Parenteau pops up. However, nobody thinks twice about Josh Bailey. However, the winger stunned everybody by leading his team to victory over the Penguins. Bailey scored 2 and added 3 assists to contribute on all 5 of their goals in the 5-3 victory.

Overtime Antics- Koivu Edition:
Just seconds into overtime, Mikko Koivu took a strong pass from Tom Gilbert to cut up the middle of the ice and bury the overtime winner and beat the Florida Panthers 3-2. This came after Erik Christensen potted home the game-tying goal with just 30 seconds to go. No doubt a thrilling game, but I'm sure if the Wild were given an easier way to win they would've taken it.

Duds

Toronto Maple Leafs: Boy, they were bad. Really, really bad. Rynnas was not solid in his first NHL start, the defense looked lethargic, and the forwards would not shoot. Let's just leave it at that, shall we?

The Cup Favourites? Only a week ago, it appeared that nobody could stop the dominant Pittsburgh Penguins. However, with their second consecutive loss to the New York Islanders, it proved that the Penguins are not indestructible. James Neal was held pointless and was a -3, while Sidney Crosby got a puck to the face and went -2.

Old Man Roloson: The performance by Dwayne Roloson on Thursday accented even further the Lightning's need for a goaltender. Roloson let in 6 goals on 34 shots and was the primary reason for their loss. Had the Lightning had more consistent goaltending and less outings like they had tonight, it is possible that they'd be competing for the final spot in the Eastern Conference playoff picture.