By Joseph Durie
Injuries to a couple of star players were the big news from week three of the NHL 2009-10 season. Marc Savard and Sergei Gonchar will both be spending a long stretch on the sideline.
The Boston Bruins center Savard suffered a broken foot and is expected to be out 4-6 weeks. Not good news for the Bruins who are also missing Milan Lucic and have struggled out of the gate this season. Expected to be one of the elite teams in the Eastern Conference, the Bruins have suffered from poor goal tending and a lack of goal scoring.
Meanwhile the Penguins lose their best defencemen, and one of the best in the game in Gonchar with a broken wrist. The Penguins have been the best team in the league this season winning nine of their first ten games. The defending champion Penguins seem to be going from strength to strength as the look almost unbeatable, winning the last seven straight games. Time will tell how the loss of Gonchar will affect the Penguins.
The Colorado Avalanche continues to impress riding the play of goalie Craig Anderson, who has played himself into US Olympic team contention. While the Toronto Maple Leafs remain the only winless team in the NHL after the New York Islanders on a John Tavares shootout winning goal, had their first win of the season.
In the game of the week the San Jose Sharks who have had an up and down start to the season went into Madison Square Garden where the Rangers were looking for their 8th straight win.
Things started well for the Rangers getting on 2-0 before the Sharks showed their offensive power scoring six unanswered goals to hand New York its first loss since opening night 7-3.
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