Bern 6, Madrid 2
Madrid outshot Bern 39-32 but lost by 4 goals. The line of Henrik Zetterberg, Jason Spezza and Radim Vrbata did the most damage, with Zetterberg scoring two times. Spezza and Ray Whitney, who are now the league’s top two scorers, each had 3 assists. Sergei Gonchar and Jeff Carter of Madrid did well in the hitting department, each getting 5.
Milan 2, Paris 1
The first meeting of the season between Milan and Paris was a tight one throughout, with goals by Viktor Stalberg and Jordan Staal emerging as the stars for Milan. Stalberg scored in the first period and Staal in the second,with Staal assisting on Stalberg’s goal. Antti Niemi held off Paris until Evgeny Malkin scored his 13th of the season with 5 and a half to play.
Prague 3, Munich 1
Munich lead quickly when Steve Downie scored in the first three minutes, but Prague was ready for more than a spring. Ryan Miller had one of his better games in a Prague Sparta uniform, stopped all but one of the 24 shots he faced. Prague was offered 8 powerplay chances by the Duns, but couldn’t score once. Bryan Little did score while Prague was shorthanded and that goal turned out to be the game-winner. Jussi Jokinen and Jason Pominville also score for Sparta. Zach Parise had 2 assists and is now tied for 7th in the league in scoring.
Helsinki 5, Stockholm 2
Stockholm fans are starting to dislike their western neighbors more thanks to the Helsinki Jokerit. Helsinki defeated Stockholm for the second time this season, scoring early Sunday and then adding four powerplay goals to build a 5-0 lead going into the second intermission. Nick Spaling scored his 4th and 5th of the season and he also had an assist. Marty St. Louis had 3 assists for the winners. Helsinki does not “own” all Swedish teams. The Jokerit are 0-2 against Gothenburg this season.
Geneva 4, Zurich 0
Kari Lehtonen shutout Zurich in a battle of Swiss teams on Sunday. The goalie made 17 stops, while veteran teammates Chris Kunitz, Mike Fisher, Justin Williams and Teemu Selanne all scored goals. Playmaker David Desharnais, who is averaging almost a point a game for Geneva in only 14 minutes per game, is out for a while. He suffered a knee injury after an open ice collision with the Lions’ Matt Gilroy. Patrice Bergeron and Rusty Klesla had good defensive games for Zurich, which is now in 9th place, 5 points out of the final playoff spot. Geneva is in third place in the Southern Conference.
London 3, Belfast 1
London came to play in Belfast, outshooting their hosts 40-24. But the going was tough for more than half of the game. After a scoreless first, Mattias Tedenby scored his 6th of the season to put Belfast up 1-0. But Michael Grabner scored a powerplay goal to tie it late in the second, and the third belonged to London. David Clarkson and Brendan Morrow, who was playing despite the flu, scored.
