Berlin 5, Helsinki 3 – No one is happy Logan Couture suffered a substantial shoulder injury 10 games ago in the eighth game of the year for the Berlin Smurfs, but there is someone who has benefited. Czech-born David Krejci has been the undisputed first line center in Couture’s absence and he has been the highest scoring Smurf. With 8 goals and 22 points, Krejci is tied with five other players for 13th in the EURO in scoring. In Monday’s game against the visiting Helsinki Jokerit, he and linemates Kris Versteeg and Ray Whitney were too much to handle, accounting for all 5 goals in a 5-3 win. Krejci had 5 points on 2 goals and 3 assists, while Versteeg and Whitney each had 3 points. The three of them are the top three goal scorers for Berlin this season. Whitney came to the Smurfs as a free agent earning $8.5 million. The former Bern Bear has replaced departed R.J. Umberger who went to Madrid during the off season. On Monday, Berlin jumped in front 2-0 in the first period, but Helsinki fought back well and made it a 3-3 game heading into the third period. Then they took two penalties and both resulted in powerplay goals behind goalie Henrik Lundqvist. Berlin did more of the skating and passing, and it resulted in a 48-31 shots advantage. Couture, meanwhile was hoping to repeat or improve upon the huge season he last season when he scored 38 goals and 93 points, and got 321 shots on goal which was fifth most in the league. Couture was operated on by Dr. Sven Ostermeier, one of Germany’s top shoulder specialists in Gundelfingen, which is in the southern part of country near the Swiss border. Currently, Berlin is 8-10, in 17th place overall and tied for 9th in the Southern Conference with their Schloder Division rival Bern.
London 6, Bern 2 – Devin Setoguchi and Brenden Morrow scored two goals each and David Clarkson had a goal and 3 assists as the Dons jumped out to a 6-0 lead before Bern could get on the scoreboard. Bern had a huge shots advantage and Bears Kimo Timonen and Steve Sullivan each scored his second of the season. Marc-Andre Fleury made 36 saves to earn the win.
Zurich 6, Frankfurt 2 – Where the heck did Drew Stafford come from? The Zurich right wing scored twice in the Lions’ win over Frankfurt and now has 11 goals to put him tied for third in the league in goals. Patrice Bergeron, Zurich’s leading points scorer, assisted on both Stafford goals Monday. The Lions outshot the Inferno 42-24. The young Frankfurt team has inserted some new players recently and one of them, Emerson Etem, scored his first goal in the league. Another, Dougie Hamilton, didn’t have as much to cheer about. He and defense partner Josh Gorges were minus 4.
Paris 6, Prague 2 – The big guns of Paris were accurate Monday and they shot down a frustrated Prague team. The two teams have basically switched places this season, Paris shooting up to second in the Southern Conference, while Prague has plummeted to second last. Czech fans and media have been vocal in their disappointment and management has alluded that a shake-up might be in the offing. They even mentioned that the league’s top scorer, Ryan Getzlaf, isn’t untouchable as a trade component. Getzlaf scored both Prague goals Monday. But back to Paris: Evgeni Malkin, Alexander Semin, David Perron and Corey Perry all scored against Prague and each has either 9, 10 or 11 goals this season. Perry led all scorers with 2 goals and 2 assists.
Gothenburg 1, Moscow 0 – Martin Brodeur, as he has been for much of his career, was fabulous on Monday, stopping all 38 Moscow shots to win. It was his first shutout of the season and fourth of his EURO career. Alexander Salak of Moscow, who has a 91.9 save percentage in 5 games, stopped 21 of 22 Gothenburg shots. The only goal of the game was a shorthanded goal in the second period scored by Sheldon Souray, the Devils’ 36-year-old defenseman. Souray, who played in 71 games for Milan last year and scored 8 goals, has 4 in 18 games for the Devils.
Belfast 4, Stockholm 3 – Belfast outshot Stockholm 38-26 and won by a goal on Swedish ice. Scoring twice for the Giants was rookie Tony Martensson, who is averaging a point per game and is the leading scorer in Belfast ahead of names like Crosby, Nash, Duchene and Jagr. Belfast defenseman Justin Faulk had a goal and an assist, while Eric Staal was the best Spartan, scoring 2 goals on 9 shots.
