Andreychuk hits 1,000 double: points, games

Home is where NHL senior vice-president Brian Burke hands you the milestone award. It has little to do with the heart. On the final day of the New Jersey Devils’ regular season schedule, Dave Andreychuk was ready to accept milestone awards for 1,000 NHL games and 1,000 points. Andreychuk hoped it meant more than just playing out the final act in an admirable hockey career. The Devils, who battled to the final day for an Eastern Conference playoff berth, made a commitment to Andreychuk when they acquired him from the Toronto Maple Leafs on March 13 for a pair of draft picks. And down the stretch, the 32-year-old left winger was the team’s most productive offensive player under immense pressure. “Dave’s very calm when the pressure is building,” said center Bobby Holik. “He sticks to…

Boston’s saving grace

There was no way it could have been the work of just one man. The Boston Bruins’ 12-2-3 streak from March 7 to April 11, which assured them a playoff spot that seemed unlikely two months earlier, was built on many contributions from many players. Looked at another way, however, Boston’s strongest hockey of the season could have been sabotaged by an ineffective goalie. It seemed from October right through mid-February that the Bruins might never play with enough consistency to straighten themselves out, but they prepared for the possibility on Jan. 11. Concerned by the failure of Blaine Lacher and Craig Billington to nail down the No. 1 goaltender’s job, Boston swallowed hard, traded Mariusz Czerkawski, 1995 first-round pick Sean Brown and its first-round pick this year to the Edmonton Oilers…

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NHL GOALTENDING STATISTICS