Bruins goalie Tim Thomas had his third shutout of the season in the team's 4-0 victory over the Senators on Saturday night. "The effort in front of me was great," Thomas said. "Our 'D' is doing an incredible job blocking shots when needed, clearing rebounds when needed. They're making life easy for me right now." Thomas has 20 career NHL shutouts, five against the Senators.

Sharks center Joe Thornton matched a franchise scoring record in the team's win over the Ducks on Saturday night. Thornton had an assist on each of the first three goals, and recorded a point on each of the Sharks' last eight goals to tie a franchise record.

After nine games with the Islanders, the team is sending top pick Nino Niederreiter back to the minor leagues. It was a decision the Islanders made earlier this week, therefore keeping intact the first year of his entry-level contract. If he played in NHL game No. 10 then the clock would have starting ticking on his three-year rookie deal. "I had a great experience up here, and I was really happy to be here," Niederreiter said. "I think it's better to go back to juniors and get more experience and be a leader back there. Again, I think it's the right decision. "At the end, I want to be a better player in the future," he said. "And I think it's better to get more ice time in juniors and be a better player there."

Ducks right winger Teemu Selanne passed Bobby Hull for 15th on the all-time goals list when he scored his 611th career goal Tuesday. After the achievement, Selanne admitted that he's thinking about retiring after the season. "I think it's time when you don't enjoy coming to the rink anymore. So far it has been fun," Selanne explained. "When you still think you can play and succeed at this level, it's my theory I'll play as long as I have fun and play well. But obviously I'm 40, so you know it's going to happen sooner or later."

Maple Leafs winger Colton Orr is expected to wear pink skates against the Rangers to support the fight against cancer. Orr put in a request with Reebok for the league's Hockey Fights Cancer month. He is wearing the skates in memory of Todd Davison, a former teammate with the WHL's Regina Pats who died in 2006 from a rare form of cancer.

A fuming Brent Sutter ripped into his top players Thursday night without actually naming names, for failing to adhere to the game plan, according to an Associated Press report.

Islanders forward Nino Niederreiter is going back to juniors, according to an Associated Press report. Niederreiter, chosen with the No. 5 pick in this year?s draft, was given the news Thursday that he will be returning to the Portland Winterhawks of the WHL.

Former Oilers owner Peter Pocklington was sentenced Wednesday to six months of home detention for making false statements in his Southern California bankruptcy case. U.S. District Judge Virginia Phillips also ordered Pocklington, 68, to serve two years probation, pay $3,000 in fines and perform 100 hours of community service.

The NHL capped last season with its best television rating for a game in 36 years, according to an ESPN.com report. League officials think they can do even better. That conviction will help guide the NHL's negotiations for its next TV contracts. Deals with NBC and Versus expire after this season. "A lot of it has to do with getting the exposure, getting the word out," John Collins, the NHL's chief operating officer, said before this season. "People can talk about how great the finals were -- and they were -- and how great it was to have Chicago and Philly.

Ilya Kovalchuk rejoined New Jersey's lineup on Sunday, one night after he was benched by coach John MacLean for an undisclosed reason. The $100 million forward, in the first year of a 15-year deal with the Devils, met with the media before New Jersey faced New York. "I'm just a player and I'm just going to show up tonight and play," Kovalchuk said. "I want to be on the ice. That's the bottom line. I'm going to be tonight. I'm excited to be back and be with the team again."