Continuing their torrid pace since the Olympic break, the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Boston Bruins 2-1. Although Blake Wheeler (14, power play) scored the game’s first goal for the Bruins, the Penguins managed to fight their way back with goals from Pascal Dupuis (16) and Evgeni Malkin (23). With an assist in the game, Sidney Crosby (40) now has points in his last five games. Boston‘s Marc Savard was temporarily knocked unconcious and taken off on a stretcher from a blind side shoulder hit by Matt Cooke. The Penguins now hold a five point lead in the Atlantic Division over the New Jersey Devils, with two more games played.

The Philadelphia Flyers bounced back after two losses in a row to beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-1. Jeff Carter (30), Simon Gagne (11), and Danny Briere (23) managed goals for Philadelphia. Chris Pronger (39) had two assists and Michael Leighton recorded his 15th winning after stopping 27 of 28 shots. Nikolai Kulemin (12) scored the only goal for Toronto. This game featured 52 penalty minutes, 33 coming from the Leafs. Philadelphia was 1 for 6 on the power play and Toronto was 0 for 4.

The Devils continued their inconsistent play with a loss against the Edmonton Oilers – the NHL’s worst team – 2-0. Gilbert Brule (14) and Marc Pouliot (4) scored for the Oilers, while Jeff Deslauriers made 22 saves to earn his 16th victory and third shutout of the season. Despite the loss, Martin Brodeur returned to form, setting aside 33 shots.