On the night when he returned to the team that traded him away, Chris Mason put on one of the best performances of his career. Mason, who played for Nashville for parts of the past six seasons, got the start last night for the St. Louis Blues and made the local fans wish they had never traded him.

Mason stopped an amazing 47 shots last night, and stopped both shootout attemps by the Predators to preserve the Blues 1-0 shutout win.

"It was a good night," said Mason. "This is definitely one of the top games in my career, so far. I was with Nashville for so long. It was just crazy."

What made the win even more impressive was that the Blues were outshot 47-17. It was truly a night when Mason stole the game away and got the Blues a needed two points. On the season now, Mason has an impressive .927 save percentage and a 2.33 Goals Against Average. To go along with this performance, Mason won both games he started this week, stopping 75 of 77 shots between the two games and was named the NHL's third star of the week.

Posted By: Luke Ventura

With his younger brother Jordan getting all the attention lately, Eric decided it was time to bring some of the fame back his way. After Jordan's thrilling third period hat trick and four point night against the Red Wings, Eric matched his younger brother by recording his fifth career hat trick last night during the teams 5-2 win against the Phoenix Coyotes.

Eric's first two goals tied the game at one and two respectively, but then he gave the 'Canes the lead for good when he put home his third goal of the night. "It's about burying your head, working hard, not changing your game, getting to those areas where goals are scored -- and for me, goals are scored in the front of the net and those traffic areas," Staal said. "Eventually, they were going to fall -- I knew that."

Eric's parents, Henry and Linda, were also in town for last night's game and their eldest son certainly put on a show for them to remember. Eric also commented on whether having Wayne Gretzky sitting behind the other team's bench served as extra motivation. "Any time the best player ever is watching and coaching against you it definitely adds a little bit more to the game, I wanted to show my stuff and be ready to play and ultimately help our team get a win."

Eric and the Hurricanes will look to build off of the good win as they will take on the Nashville Predators on Sunday afternoon at home.

Posted By: Luke Ventura

You have to be able to win on the road in the NHL if you're going to be successful and the Blackhawks are learning just that. The Hawks are 2-0 on their current six game road trip and they were led last night by Patrick Kane's two goals during their 6-3 victory against Dallas.

Kane now has 10 goals and 14 assists on the season, which gives him 24 points and in fifth place among the league leaders.

He showed off his quick wrist shot last night, when he ripped home a blistering shot from the left faceoff circle to tie the game at one as the first period was coming to a close. It was his second multi-goal game of the season.

Kane and the 'Hawks will now travel to Toronto to take on the Maple Leafs before taking the cross country trip to California to take on the Sharks, Ducks and Kings.

Posted By: Luke Ventura

Evgeni Malkin is picking up right where he left off last season and once again has the Penguins near the top of the Eastern Conference.

Malkin has recorded seven goals and 23 assists for a total of 30 points in just 17 games played. The third year player out of Russia has picked up a point in all but one game this season and currently has a 13 game point streak. There certainly has not been any drop off in production from a year ago.

Malkin and the Pens, who have won six straight games, will be in action on Tuesday night when they host the Minnesota Wild.

Posted By: Luke Ventura

After a slow start to the season, Nicklas Backstrom is beginning to play again at the level most knew he could. In his last three games, Backstrom has picked up an incredible 10 points, which includes a five point night against New Jersey in which he recorded a goal and four assists. He now has a total of 16 points on the season.

"I got some lucky bounces, and I play with good players - that is the key, I think," Backstrom said. "I had a tough start, but I try to do my best out there."

Since Backstrom has picked up his level of play, so have the Capitals. The Caps have won five of their last six games and have moved into first place in the Southeast Division with 23 points.

Backstrom and the Capitals will hit the ice again on Wednesday night when they kick off a four game roadtrip against the Anaheim Ducks. They'll also face the Kings, Sharks and Wild before heading home to host the Thrashers.

Posted By: Luke Ventura

On a night when the hockey world was interested in seeing a rematch of last year's Cup Finals, Jordan Staal stole the show and led the Penguins to victory by recording his second career hat trick.

What was even more impressive was the fashion in which Staal recorded the goals. Down 5-3 in the third period, Jordan then scored the Penguins next three goals to tie the game at 6. His game tying goal came with just 23 seconds left in the game. After tying the game and forcing overtime, Staal still wasn't done. With just over a minute to go in OT, Staal made a great defensive play by stealing the puck, and setting up the game winning goal with a great pass.

"It seemed like everything I touched went in", said Staal, who scored the three goals on five shots. "We have a lot of talent on this team and we have good heart."

Staal now has five goals and four assists on the season, as the Penguins are now 9-4-2 and are in second place in the Atlantic Division. Pittsburgh will open a three game homestand on Thursday night when the high scoring Flyers come into town.

Posted By: Luke Ventura

It's hard to imagine, but the 57th NHL All-Star Game ballot has already been released. Below is a list of a few NBH players on the ballot, and players that deserve to be voted in by the fans. Visit the NHL Fan Ballot page to start voting for all these players. Here we go.

1. Mike Richards- Philadelphia Flyers. Richards, who had a break out season last year, was named the Flyers captain at the beginning of the season and has done a terrific job of filling the leadership role. So far he has four goals and 10 assists in 11 games. He is always on the ice for Philly as he contributes to both the power play and the penalty kill.

2. Evgeni Malkin- Pittsburgh Penguins. Malkin hasn't showed any signs of letting up from where he finished last season. After picking up a career high 106 points last year, Malkin is once again leading the league in scoring with 18 points. He has four goals and 14 assists, including at least one point in his last eight games.

3. Eric Staal- Carolina Hurricanes. Eric continues to be one of the main leaders of the 'Canes, and has started the season like he always does. He has a team high five goals and four assists this season, as he has helped Carolina get off to a surprisingly good start at 7-2-3. The great start puts the 'Canes in first place in the Southeast Division.

4. Simon Gagne- Philadelphia Flyers. Simon Gagne's return to the league this season has been one of the more uplifting and encouraging stories. Having missed the majority of least season due to injury, Gagne has come back and shown the skills that helped him record back-to-back 40 goal seasons. Gagne has already recorded eight goals and six assists and is tied for the team lead in points with 14. His +6 rating also shows just how much better the Flyers are when he is in the lineup.

5. Patrick Kane- Chicago Blackhawks. After winning Rookie of the Year honors last season, Kane and the Blackhawks are determined to get back into the playoffs. Kane has certainly done his part as he already has six goals and a team high nine assists for a total of 15 points. The 19-year old has the 'Hawks in second place in the Central Division and they are owners of a three game winning streak.

6. Phil Kessel- Boston Bruins. Kessel is one of the main reasons the Bruins have had such a successful start to the season. His team high eight goals have helped lead the team to a 6-3-3 record and just three points out of first place.

7. Jeff Carter- Philadelphia Flyers. The 23-year old center from Ontario is off to the best start of his young career. He has a team high nine goals, including two overtime game winners, to go along with three assists. He has also seen his average ice time jump up to over 21 minutes per game.

8. Tim Thomas- Boston Bruins. Thomas has once again had to win the number one spot for the B's, and he has done just that. With back-to-back 1-0 shutout wins against the Oilers and Canucks and a 5-1 win against Dallas, it seems that Thomas has solidified himself as the man who will be between the pipes. He currently leads the league with a .944 save percentage and is second in the league with a 1.83 goals against average (GAA). His 3-1-0 record and .970 save percentage last week earned him the NHL's Second Star of the Week honor.

9. Marcus Naslund- New York Rangers. Naslund has been the most consistent offensive force for the Rangers so far on the young season. He has a team high five goals and seven assists, which ties him for the team lead with 12 points. The Rangers currently have the second best record in the entire league with a 10-4-1 record, which is good for 21 points.

10. Patrick Sharp- Chicago Blackhawks. Sharp, who is coming off a career best season in which he recorded 36 goals and 26 assists, has continued to improve and is putting up numbers that put him among the league leaders. Sharp has a team high nine goals and seven assists on the season for a total of 16 points, which is good for third in the league. He recorded two goals and an assist in the Hawks latest win, a 6-2 decision against the Colorado Avalanche.

Posted By: Luke Ventura

The Chicago Blackhawks have won three straight games and a a big reason for that has been the play of Patrick Sharp. Sharp, who is coming off a career best season in which he recorded 36 goals and 26 assists, has continued to improve and is putting up numbers that put him among the league leaders.

Sharp has nine goals and seven assists on the season for a total of 16 points, which is good for third in the league. He recorded two goals and an assist in the Hawks latest win, a 6-2 decision against the Colorado Avalanche.

"I think we've played well in just about every game this year, and had a chance to win, so it's nice to string together a few wins, we've got alot of games at home...we want to gather them up and keep going every game", Sharp said.

Sharp and the Blackhawks will have a nice long break, as they don't play again until Sunday when they host the Calgary Flames. The game is the second of a five game homestand before going on the road for six straight games.

Posted By: Luke Ventura